TNAG-2732-FCO40-3938-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1993 — Page 21

UNCLASSIFIED

HKB 012/1

UNCLASSIFIED

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 700

OF 070849Z MAY 93

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

RECI

GISTRY

10 MAY 1993

REGISTRY

don Taken

INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG

Con. sept

(Gen 236353

MDHIAN 0039

(Rucc. Etter)

113

CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PRESS REPORT

NCNA OFFICIAL

صير

1. THE PAPERS TODAY (7 MAY) HIGHLIGHTED REMARKS BY THE DEPUTY HEAD OF THE RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF NCNA HONG KONG, ZHANG XIANGLIN, AT A SEMINAR ON THE PRE- AND POST-1997 ROLE OF CIVIL SERVANTS. ZHANG WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THE CHINESE SIDE UNDERSTOOD THE POSITION OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN THE CURRENT POLITICAL ROW. BUT THE CHINESE HOPED THAT SENIOR HKG OFFICIALS COULD BEAR IN MIND HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY AND SMOOTH TRANSITION, AND MAKE CAREFUL JUDGEMENT: THEY SHOULD MAKE THEIR OWN CALCULATIONS IN THEIR HEART AND JUDGE WHAT WAS RIGHT AND WRONG.

2. IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS RAISED DURING THE SEMINAR, ZHANG SAID THOSE OFFICIALS SUCH AS THE SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS WHO WERE INVOLVED IN SENSITIVE WORK SHOULD APPROACH THEIR DUTIES PRUDENTLY. SHOULD THEY GO TOO FAR, NOT ONLY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT BUT ALSO THE HONG KONG PUBLIC WOULD HAVE VIEWS ON THEM. THERE COULD THEN HARDLY BE A PLACE FOR THESE OFFICIALS IN THE FUTURE. AS SUCH, THEY SHOULD BE PRUDENT AND IT WOULD BE UNWISE IF THEY WERE TOO INVOLVED AND TOO ACTIVE'. THESE REMARKS WERE PLAYED UP IN THE INDEPENDENT PAPERS.

•

3. THE REPORT IN TA KUNG PAO ON THE MEETING HAD OMITTED THE REFERENCE TO SCA, WEN WEI PO QUOTED ZHANG AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT TREAT DIFFERENTLY OFFICIALS IN SENSITIVE POSTS SUCH AS CAB. THE BL HAD MADE CLEAR PROVISIONS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS. THE REPORT ALSO NOTED THAT ZHANG HOPED SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS WOULD CONTINUE TO DO THEIR JOB ON THE BASIS OF THE

THREE COMPLIANCES.

ELECTION COMMITTEE

4. ACCORDING TO WAH KIU YAT PO, FORMER BL DRAFTER XIAO WEIYUN SAID THAT HE HIMSELF FELT THAT THOSE HONG KONG DEPUTIES TO THE NPC AND CPPCC HOLDING PRC PASSPORTS SHOULD NOT SIT ON THE

1

PAGE

UNCLASSIFIED