TNAG-2730-FCO40-3936-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1993 — Page 119

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

UNCLASSIFIED

1

055463 MDLI 5094

THAT PUT FORWARD BY THE BRITISH HKG AND THAT BRITAIN WOULD REAP A PROFIT OF ABOUT US DOLLARS 5 BN TO US DOLLARS 5.5 BN FROM THE PROJECT. THE REPORT RECOMMENDED THAT IF THE BRITISH HKG INSISTED ON ITS PRESENT POLICY THE CHINESE SIDE SHOULD ANNOUNCE WITHDRAWAL OF SUPPORT. THE ARTICLE UNDERSTOOD THAT APART FROM THESE 'HAWKS', IN GENERAL PEOPLE INCLUDING A LOT OF CADRES DID NOT UNDERSTAND NOR SUPPORT THE MOVES BY THE 'HAWKS' AS THEY DID NOT WISH TO SEE HK BECOMING A BASE FOR ANTI-BRITISH AND ANTI- CAPITALIST ACTIVITIES.

3.

MING PAO (31.12) UNDERSTOOD PEOPLE FROM VARIOUS SECTORS WERE TAKING UP A MEDIATING ROLE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA TO BREAK THE CURRENT DEADLOCK. THEY INCLUDED BUSINESSMEN, PROFESSIONALS AND POLITICAL FIGURES IN HK AS WELL AS THE OVERSEAS BUSINESS COMMUNITY. THE REPORT NOTED THAT MANY OF THESE GROUPS DID THEIR OWN WORK WITHOUT NECESSARILY KNOWING THAT THE OTHERS WERE DOING THE SAME.

4. REPORTS NOTED CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY GENERAL SECRETARY JIANG ZIMIN SAID (2.1) CHINA HAD ALL ALONG ADVOCATED FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND LONG TERM STABILITY AND PROSPERITY FOR HK AND MACAU. RECENTLY, THE BRITISH HK AUTHORITIES HAD DELIBERATELY CREATED A CONFRONTATIONAL SITUATION. HE HOPED THE BRITISH HK AUTHORITIES COULD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE GO BACK TO THE CORRECT TRACK AND ADHERE TO AGREEMENTS REACHED BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN. THE CHINESE PRESIDENT YANG SHANGKUN IN HIS NEW YEAR MESSAGE SAID RECENT ACTIONS BY THE HK BRITISH AUTHORITIES HAD POSED OBSTACLES TO HK'S SMOOTH TRANSITION. HE HOPED THEY WOULD CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDE AND RETURN TO THE TRACK OF CO-OPERATION. HKMAO VICE DIRECTOR, CHEN ZIYING, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH A MAINLAND TV STATION SAID CHINA WOULD IMPLEMENT THE JD AND BL REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENED IN HK. MR CHEN REITERATED CHINA WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH HK'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS BUT ISSUES STRADDLING 1997 WOULD HAVE

TO BE DISCUSSED BY BOTH SIDES. NCNA HK VICE DIRECTOR ZHANG

JUNSHENG SAID HE HOPED THOSE WHO CLAIMED TO REPRESENT HK'S

INTERESTS WOULD DEMONSTRATE THIS BY ACTIONS. MR ZHANG STRESSED IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ADHERE TO THE JD AND SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENTS AND CONVERGE WITH THE BL. OTHERWISE, IT WOULD AFFECT HK'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.

5.

A NCNA COMMENTARY STRESSED CHINA'S ECONOMIC REFORMS WERE BENEFICIAL TO HK. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NEGATIVE FACTORS IN 1992, THEY HAD NOT UNDERMINED HK'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS. THE ARTICLE CLAIMED LOCAL BUSINESSMEN HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S

2

PAGE

UNCLASSIFIED

Comments

Approved members can add comments, bookmarks, and private notes.

No comments yet.

Private Research Note

Private notes are available after approval.