TNAG-2353-FCO40-3423-Visits-by-Lord-Caithness--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and--1991 — Page 216

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UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

FM HONG KONG

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OF 051057Z NOVEMBER 91

INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, BIS NEW YORK INFO HKGO SAN FRANCISCO, UKMIS GENEVA, HKGO GENEVA

13/x:

HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUND-UP (30.10 5.11)

SUMMARY

1. THE SETTING UP OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL CONTINUED TO RECEIVE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE.

COURT OF FINAL APPEAL

2. A VICE-DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA HK BRANCH, ZHANG JUNSHENG, REITERATED (31.10) AT A PUBLIC FUNCTION THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE THE CFP COMPOSITION AS AGREED BY THE JLG. HE SAID THAT THE SETTING UP OF THE COURT DURING THE TRANSITION WAS THE JOINT RESPONSIBILITY OF BRITAIN AND CHINA AND THAT HK'S JUDICIAL AUTHORITY AFTER 1997 WAS A MATTER OF SOVEREIGNTY. THE GOVERNOR WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (1.11) THAT THE HKG NEEDED TIME TO WORK OUT THE BEST WAY FORWARD. WEN WEI PO (1.11) QUOTING ANOTHER VICE- DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA HK BRANCH, QIN WENJUN, SAID THAT THE AGREEMENT COULD NOT BE CHANGED. A NUMBER OF PAPERS CARRIED AN ATV REPORT WHICH QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES (2-3.11) AS SAYING CHINA WOULD NOT RE-OPEN DISCUSSIONS. IF LEGCO INSISTED ON AMENDING THE AGREEMENT, THE SAR GOVERNMENT WOULD DISBAND THE COURT IN 1997 AND SET UP A NEW ONE. CHINESE SOURCES SAID (4-5.11) THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY NEW PROPOSAL FROM THE BRITISH. THE CHINESE STANCE WAS THAT THE AGREEMENT COULD NOT BE CHANGED. MANY PAPERS QUOTED BRITISH AND HKG SOURCES AS SAYING THAT HKG WAS STUDYING DETAILS INCLUDING THE DRAFTING OF LEGISLATION AND THAT IT HOPED TO WORK OUT A FEASIBLE SOLUTION.

JLG

3. THE MEDIA (2.11) REPORTED THAT LEGCO MEMBERS REQUESTED TO BE CONSULTED ON JLG ISSUES THAT REQUIRED FUNDING OR LEGISLATION TO PREVENT PROBLEMS SIMILAR TO THOSE ARISING FROM THE CFA ISSUE. THEY SAID THEY HAD NO INTENTION TO BE INVOLVED IN DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS AND THE HKG SHOULD WORK OUT HOW THIS COULD BE CARRIED OUT WITHOUT BREACHING THE JLG CONFIDENTIALITY RULE.

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