TNAG-2693-FCO40-3896-Meetings-and-calls-on-Alastair-Goodlad--Minister-of-State-fo-1993 — Page 44

March 1993

CONFIDENTIAL

Roderic Lyne Esq CMG

10 Downing St

THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN CLOSED UNDER

FOI EXEMPTION NO. 27 (1)

HONG KONG

My letter of 12 March reported that the Chinese side

had refused to agree acceptable terms for talks and that the

Governor had decided to publish his electoral legislation.

As predicted, Premier Li Peng's speech to the National People's Congress (NPC) on 14 March was sharply critical of

the Governor, accusing him of "perfidy" and of actions

"designed to create disorder". In public statements, Chinese

spokesmen appeared to rule out talks and said that they would

step up preparations for a new legislature as well as a new

Government in 1997. But the tone of these remarks was less

hostile than might have been expected. In recent days, Chinese spokesmen have moderated their line slightly, suggesting that introduction of the legislation into the Legislative Council would be the step which made talks impossible.

privately, using a Hong Kong businessman well connected in

Peking, Mr Edmond Lau. Lau's reports indicate that the

Chinese leadership did not take a decision that the talks

about talks should fail: the outcome was the result of

confusion rather than calculation on the Chinese side. This

suggests that there is still some possibility of resuming discussions, probably after the NPC meeting has finished.

China's National People's Congress

(China's

let,lyne22/3 JM CONDEV

CONFIDENTIAL