TNAG-2730-FCO40-3936-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1993 — Page 50

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FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 40

OF 110944Z JANUARY 93

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REC

IN.

WNB azli

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

13

1.2. Constipkeypt

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TOP COPY Q DIST ?

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041451

MDLIAN 6179

CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: LU PING

1. THE PAPERS ON 10 JANUARY WIDELY QUOTED LU PING (SPEAKING AT A RECEPTION FOR JOURNALISTS ON 9 JANUARY) AS SAYING THAT THE DAY WHEN I WITHDREW MY CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM WOULD SEE THE 'CLEARING UP OF THE SKY AND DEPARTURE OF THE RAINS'. HE SAID SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS WERE AT A LOW EBB BECAUSE OF THE ROW OVER HONG KONG'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT. THIS HAD AFFECTED OFFICIAL VISITS AND EXCHANGES AND HE WOULD NOT/NOT VISIT HONG KONG BEFORE THE DISPUTE

WAS RESOLVED.

2. WHEN ASKED WHETHER CHINA WOULD ACCEPT MODELS DECIDED BY LEGCO WHICH COULD CONVERGE WITH THE BL, LU SAID IT WAS NOT/NOT APPROPRIATE TO MAKE COMMENT BASED ON ASSUMPTIONS AND THAT HE ONLY HOPED THE 1995 LEGCO COULD BOARD THE 'THROUGH TRAIN'. HE FURTHER CLARIFIED THAT IT MUST BE AN ENTIRE THROUGH TRAIN, I.E. IT WOULD NOT/NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR HALF THE COMPARTMENT TO GO BEYOND 1997 AND THE OTHER HALF NOT/NOT TO.

3. ON THE MINISTERIAL MEETING PLANNED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MOU, MANY PAPERS QUOTED LU AS REITERATING THAT THIS MEETING COULD POSSIBLY NOT/NOT DISCUSS HONG KONG AT ALL, BUT OTHER BILATERAL ISSUES. BUT THE SCMP GAVE A MORE OPTIMISTIC REPORT. IT QUOTED LU AS SAYING THAT CHINA REMAINED OPEN TO NEGOTIATIONS. THE PLANNED MINISTERIAL MEETING WAS A REGULAR MEETING WHICH WAS NOT/NOT JUST ABOUT HONG KONG AND COULD DISCUSS A WIDE RANGE OF OTHER TOPICS. IT ALSO QUOTED LU'S REMARKS THAT IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT ANY CONTRACTS AWARDED BY THE HKG BEYOND 1997 WOULD BE REVOKED BY THE SAR ADMINISTRATION.

PATTEN

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