TNAG-2399-FCO40-3486-Hong-Kong-Civil-Service-morale-1992 — Page 5

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HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUND-UP (18-24.12)

SUMMARY

1. NO MAJOR ISSUES WERE FEATURED.

LU PING

2.

THE DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LU PING, SAID (24.12) IN A YEAR-END INTERVIEW WITH THE CNS THAT UNDER THE 'ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS' PRINCIPLE, HK AFTER 1997 WOULD BE A SPECIAL REGION FOR IMPLEMENTING CAPITALISM UNDER SOCIALIST CHINA AND NOT A POLITICAL ENTITY. MR. LU PRAISED HK CIVIL SERVANTS, INCLUDING THE POLICE, AND REASSURED THEM THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY MAJOR

ERE WO CHANGES TO THE CIVIL SERVICE AFTER 1997. HE SAID THAT WORRIES OVER THE CFA WERE UNNECESSARY AND THAT HK'S EXECUTIVE-LED POLITICAL SYSTEM SHOULD BE MAINTAINED FOR THE SAKE OF HK'S SUCCESS. HE SAID THAT HIS OFFICE WOULD SEEK TO PROVIDE THE CONDITIONS FOR HK TO IMPLEMENT A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY AFTER 1997. MR. LU WOULD ARRIVE FOR A FOUR-DAY VISIT ON JANUARY 6. HE WAS EXPECTED TO DISCUSS LEGCO POWERS AND HK'S ECONOMIC PROBLEMS WITH THE GOVERNOR, SOME PAPERS SPECULATED (20-21.12).

3. THE DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE AT THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LUO JIAHUAN, WOULD JOIN THE JLG AS A PERMANENT MEMBER, (19.12 REPORTS).

4. A CHINA NEWS SERVICE BY-LINE ARTICLE (23.12) NOTED THAT REMARKS BY VARIOUS CHINESE LEADERS IN THE PAST YEAR SHOWED THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT SINO-HK RELATIONS. THEY BELIEVED THAT HK'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY WOULD BENEFIT CHINA. LIKEWISE, CHINA'S STABILITY WOULD HELP HK BECOME MORE PROSPEROUS.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

5. A YEAR-END REVIEW BY THE CNS (19.12) SAID THAT CHINA HAD WARNED AGAINST ATTEMPTS TO INITIATE DRASTIC CHANGES TO HK'S

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