TNAG-2719-FCO40-3925-Hong-Kong-electoral-provisions-and-arrangements-1993 — Page 44

XM (93) 38

SECRET

656

4.

The Political

Adviser added that the

message from the Prime Minister to Premier LI had

been delivered to JIANG Enzhu on 13 November by

of Mission at the

the Deputy Head

Embassy.

British

At the

time, Mr

MCLEAN had

also

proposed that the seventeenth

round of talks

should be held on 24 and 25 November, and that

the sixteenth round

should

concentrate

on

reaching a first-stage agreement

based on the

draft MOU.

He had also taken the opportunity to

inform the Chinese side that Mr Christopher HUM

would temporarily replace Sir Robin McLAREN as

leader of the British negotiating team due to the

latter's hospitalisation.

5.

JIANG had said he would pass the

message to LI Peng. He added that a reply would

be sent to the Prime Minister after the Chinese

side had studied the contents of the message, but

agreed in principle that

should be

accelerated.

JIANG had suggested this

the pace of the talks

As for round sixteen,

should concentrate on

matters concerning "district organisations" (as

he called them) and he hoped the British side

would adopt a positive attitude. The Political

Adviser said there had been no response thus far

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