UNCLASSIFIED
130460
MDHI. 5765
ATTEMPTS TO PLAY THE INTERNATIONALISATION CARD AGAIN JUST SHOWED THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD EXHAUSTED THEIR MEANS TO RALLY SUPPORT FOR OUR PACKAGE. BUT CHINA WOULD NOT SUCCUMB TO PRESSURE AND WOULD NOT GIVE AWAY PRINCIPLES. THAT THE BRITISH WERE TRYING TO INTERNATIONALISE HONG KONG AND BRING UP THE THREE-LEGGED STOOL WAS A VAIN ATTEMPT IN NOT RETURNING HONG KONG INTACT TO CHINA. IN A SIMILAR VEIN, AN ARTICLE IN TA KUNG ALSO SAID THAT NO THIRD COUNTRY COULD INTERFERE IN MATTERS OF SOVEREIGNTY BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN: THIS FACT WOULD NOT BE CHANGED BY HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC LINKS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD.
6.
QUOTING THE HEAD OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU DEPARTMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN TRADE AND ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION, AN MIN, THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL REPORTED TODAY THAT IF THE BRITISH SIDE CONTINUED TO PRESS AHEAD ON THE THREE VIOLATIONS, THERE MIGHT BE SOME ADVERSE IMPACT ON SINO-BRITISH TRADE. BUT THE CHINESE WOULD NOT DELIBERATELY SANCTION THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF BRITISH FIRMS IN CHINA. NOR WOULD THERE BE A SANCTION POLICY AGAINST BRITISH FIRMS. AN MIN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT SOME BRITISH FIRMS MIGHT HAVE TO MEND THEIR TIES WITH THE CHINESE. JARDINES, WHICH HAD OWED THEIR FORTUNE TO CHINA TRADE, CHINA, WAS ONE EXAMPLE. HE SAID THAT CHINA WOULD NOT SUPPORT SUCH FIRMS, UNLESS THEY INTENDED TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIP. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, AN ALSO SUGGESTED THAT BRITISH FIRMS SHOULD ASK THE GOVERNOR AND THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY TO WITHDRAW THE POLITICAL PACKAGE.
7.
HK ECONOMIC TIMES PUBLISHED TODAY THE FINDINGS OF A TELEPHONE SURVEY ON 26-29 MARCH ON LATEST PUBLIC VIEWS ON CONSTITUTIONAL- RELATED ISSUES. 839 RESPONDENTS WERE COVERED, REPRESENTING A RESPONSE RATE OF 51 PERCENT. THE FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS :
(I) WHICH SIDE SHOULD TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN RE-OPENING THE
TALKS:
CHINESE SIDE
BRITISH SIDE
BOTH SIDES SHOULD
14.4 PERCENT 28 PERCENT
50.5 PERCENT
BOTH SIDES SHOULD NOT 1 PERCENT
DON'T KNOW/DIFFICULT
TO SAY
(II)
ROW:
6.1 PERCENT
WHETHER RE-OPENING TALKS COULD RESOLVE THE POLITICAL
PAGE
UNCLASSIFIED
2
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.