TNAG-2730-FCO40-3936-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1993 — Page 118

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FM HONG KONG

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TELNO 013

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Huis

azlı

TOP COPY Q DIST?

025463 MDLIAN/5094

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-7 JAN 1992

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OF 051033Z JANUARY 193

INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA

HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: (31.12.92-5.1.93)

SUMMARY

1. ATTENTION CONTINUED TO CENTRE ON CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN HK, INCLUDING REMARKS MADE BY THE GOVERNOR AND CHINESE LEADERS SUCH AS LU PING AND JIAN ZEMIN ON THIS AND SINO-HK AND SINO- BRITISH RELATIONS.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

2. AN ARTICLE IN THE JANUARY 1993 ISSUE OF CHENG MING MAGAZINE (31.12) SAID WITHIN THE TOP LEVEL CHINESE LEADERSHIP THERE WERE THE 'HAWKS' AND THE 'DOVES'. RECENTLY, DENG XIAOPING APPEARED AS A 'HAWK'. LIU HUA QING, A VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION, CRITICISED THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT FOR BEING WEAK AND 'RIGHTIST' IN DEALING WITH HK. LIU WAS QUOTED AS SAYING HAPPENINGS IN HK WAS A POLITICAL GAMBLE BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT REPRESENTING A CHALLENGE TO CHINA. HE SAID CHINA HAD WARNED TAIWAN THAT IF THEY ADVOCATED INDEPENDENCE OR 'ONE CHINA, ONE TAIWAN', CHINA WOULD USE FORCE TO MAINTAIN UNIFICATION. SIMILARLY, IF THE BRITISH WANTED TO USE THE INTERNATIONAL CARD TO CREATE AN INDEPENDENT OR SEMI-INDEPENDENT HK, THEN CHINA SHOULD IMMEDIATELY USE MILITARY FORCE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. QIAO SHI, A MEMBER OF THE POLITBUREAU STANDING COMMITTEE WAS QUOTED AS SAYING ON 10 DECEMBER 1992 AT A PASSING OUT SEMINAR FOR PARTY CADRES, THAT IF THE BRITISH CONTINUED TO CONTRAVENE THE JD, THEN THE QUESTION OF WHETHER CHINA SHOULD UNILATERALLY IMPLEMENT THE JD DID NOT EXIST IN ACCORDANCE TO INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE. CHINA COULD ASK THE BRITISH TO 'GO HOME'. WU XUEQIAN REITERATED DURING A HKMAO MEETING IN EARLY DECEMBER THAT THE STRUGGLE SHOULD CONTINUE. THE ARTICLE NOTED THAT ON 2 DECEMBER 1992, CHINESE FUNDED ORGANISATIONS IN HK WERE INSTRUCTED TO STOP BUYING SHARES. IN LATE NOVEMBER, A RESEARCH GROUP UNDER THE STATE COUNCIL HKMAO COMPLETED A REPORT ON HK'S NEW AIRPORT. THE REPORT POINTED OUT THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION COST WAS SOME 25-35 PERCENT LOWER THAN

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