TNAG-2726-FCO40-3932-Hong-Kong-opinion-polls-on-constitutional-development-1993 — Page 84

UNCLASSIFIED

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 229

OF 121024Z FEBRUARY 93

UNCLASSIFIED

NEW FILE

oil

HKB 011/12

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

6

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Teken

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

p.r. Opinion Polls

($82

157451

MDLIAN 3786-

3780 My Sandes

CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PRESS REPORTS.

SUMMARY

1. MEDIA INTEREST IN LATEST CHINESE POSITION ON OUR

CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE AND THE TIMING OF THE PUBLICATIONS OF DRAFT LEGISLATION IS PICKING UP.

DETAIL

SEPARATE STOVE

2. MING PAO TODAY (12 FEBRUARY) CARRIED A REPORT FROM PEKING QUOTING A RELIABLE SOURCE AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD TAKEN THE VIEW THAT LEGCO WOULD PASS OUR CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE AND WAS THUS PSYCHOLOGICALLY WELL PREPARED FOR SUCH OUTCOME. THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT CHANGE THEIR STANCE BUT WOULD INSIST THAT LEGCO WAS A MERE ADVISORY ORGAN NOT REPRESENTING PUBLIC VIEWS IN HONG KONG.

3. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE, IN SETTING UP A SEPARATE STOVE THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD IMPLEMENT THE PRINCIPLE OF HONG KONG PEOPLE RULING HONG KONG. THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE PRAGMATIC AND ACCEPTABLE TO THE HONG KONG PUBLIC WOULD BE CHOSEN. THE SOURCE HINTED THAT TRADITIONAL PRO-CHINA FIGURES, LEFT-WING PEOPLE AND DEMOCRACY FIGHTERS WHO WERE AGAINST THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT BE SELECTED.

CONSULTATION WITH CHINESE

4. SPECULATION IS RIFE THAT THE GAZETTAL OF BILLS WOULD BE DEFERRED TO AWAIT CHINESE RESPONSE. A NUMBER OF PAPERS QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT CONCEDE ON PRINCIPLES. NOR WOULD THEIR STANCE CHANGE SIMPLY BECAUSE THE BRITISH HAD OUT OF COURTESY INFORMED THEM OF THE BILLS. SOURCES SAID IT WAS UNLIKELY THE DISPUTE COULD BE RESOLVED AT THE JLG MEETING NEXT MONTH. THE CHINESE WOULD NOT ENTER INTO DISCUSSING WITH THE BRITISH ON THE BASIS OF THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS: BUT WOULD RESPOND BY SHOWING THEIR DISSATISFACTION WHEN THE PROPOSALS WERE PUT TO LEGCO.