SoStoPM.SA.bern
Prime Minister
HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
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D Reibett's
HKD
Old version
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i- Gutral office format)
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We will be discussing the way ahead with the Governor at
OPD (K) on 18 November.
His constitutional proposals, which we discussed at our
meeting on 15 September, have been generally well received in
Hong Kong, in this country and internationally. But we
recognised on 15 September that the Chinese would be bound to
oppose them.
This was borne out when the Governor visited Peking last
month. The Chinese rejected the entire package out of hand. They reacted with particular anger to our refusal to enter a process of private consultations with them before the Governor announced his proposals in Hong Kong. On the substance, they
concentrated their fire on the proposals to broaden the
franchise for the functional constituencies, and to form the
Election Committee of people who had themselves been elected.
They have refused to put forward any alternatives, and have
mounted a vitriolic propaganda campaign in Hong Kong.
that Deng Xiaoping has laid down that the Chinese
should stick to a hard line and force the Governor to
backtrack; and if he does not, that China should make preparations to set up new institutions in 1997.
CONFIDENTIAL
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SECTION 3 (4) OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958
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