UNCLASSIFIED
047707 MDHI 7655
(I) THE DEBATE REVEALED THAT BRITAIN HAD NO WISH TO IMPLEMENT THE JD, AND WOULD RENDER A SMOOTH TRANSFER IMPOSSIBLE AND LEAD TO NON-CONVERGENCE.
(II) THE OUTCOME OF THE DEBATE HAD IN EFFECT BLOCKED THE WAY
FOR THE GOVERNOR TO CLIMB DOWN. BUT IF THE LAST LEGCO COULD NOT STRADDLE 1997, NEITHER WOULD BRITISH INTERESTS IN HK.
(III)
COERCING
THE GOVERNOR HAD ADOPTED A HIGH-HANDED APPROACH IN
LEGCO INTO SUPPORTING THE MOTION.
(IV) AS A RESULT OF THE GOVERNOR PUSHING HIS PROPOSALS, HK WAS DIVIDED INTO 2 CAMPS, THOSE SUPPORTING CONVERGENCE AND THOSE WHO DID NOT. TA KUNG ADDED THAT THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE WERE STILL
HOPING THAT CONVERGENCE COULD BE ACHIEVED.
THE TWO PAPERS ALSO WIDELY CARRIED COMMENTS FROM PRO-CHINA
FIGURES IN HK CRITICISING THE DEBATE. THEY SAW THE DEBATE AS
ANOTHER INDICATION OF THE GOVERNOR PUTTING PRESSURE ON CHINA, WHICH THEY BELIEVED WOULD NEITHER HELP RESOLVE THE CURRENT SINO-
BRITISH DISPUTE NOR MAINTAIN STABILITY.
INDEPENDENT PRESS
3. INDEPENDENT PAPERS HAVE SO FAR REACTED NEGATIVELY TO THE NCNA STATEMENT. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL IN ITS EDITORIAL SAID THAT THE STATEMENT GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT CHINA WAS GETTING CONFUSED IN ITS TACTICS ON HK. TO DENY LEGCO'S ROLE AS HK'S LEGISLATIVE ORGAN WAS AN INSULT TO WISDOM OF VOTERS. THE EDITORIAL CONCLUDED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE WITHOUT PRICE IF CHINA SET TO UPROOT THE
POLITICAL REFORMS WHICH HAD WON THE SUPPORT OF MANY HONG KONG
PEOPLE AND WESTERN COUNTRIES. THE EXPRESS SAID THAT IT WAS UNFAIR TO LABEL LEGCO MEMBERS AS SUCCUMBING TO HKG PRESSURE. CRITICISMS REMINISCENT OF THE RED GUARDS WOULD NOT HELP CHINA WIN HK PEOPLE OVER. THE PAPER URGED THE CHINESE SIDE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT REACTION IN HK BEFORE IT VOICED VIEWS ON HK AGAIN. SING TAO SAID THAT THE LEGCO MEMBERS WHO SUPPORTED THE MOTION HAD DONE
SO ON THE BASIS OF PUBLIC SENTIMENTS. IT HOPED THAT BOTH SIDES
COULD RESOLVE THE DISPUTE IN A CALM WAY.
LEGCO MEMBERS
4. REACTION FROM LEGCO MEMBERS OF LEADING POLITICAL GROUPS WAS ALSO GENERALLY ONE OF DISAPPROVAL. CHRISTINE LOH STRESSED SHE
HAD NOT COME UNDER ANY PRESSURE FROM HKG IN MOVING HER MOTION. MARTINE LEE (UDHK) MAINTAINED THAT LEGCO MEMBERS HAD THE RIGHT TO
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