TNAG-2734-FCO40-3942-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislative-Council-(LEGCO)-1993 — Page 134

I

UNCLASSIFIED

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 372

OF 060442Z MARCH 93

UNCLASSIFIED

HKB 012/3

TISTRY

14 MAR 1993

DES INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

p.9. Leglo

54+10.

037703

MDLIAN 8621

22)

CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT : REACTION TO GOVERNOR'S STATEMENT TO LEGCO LEFT-WING PRESS REPORTS

SUMMARY

1

. A SURPRISINGLY MILD INITIAL COMMENT FROM AN HKMAO OFFICIAL. LITTLE COMMENT IN THE LEFT-WING PRESS, BUT WHAT THERE WAS IS ALSO MILD.

DETAIL

PEKING SOURCES

2. MING PAO QUOTED PEKING SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE WOULD EXAMINE CAREFULLY AND STUDY IN DETAIL THE GOVERNOR'S STATEMENT. THE CHINESE BELIEVED THAT BASICALLY THE STATEMENT WOULD NOT/NOT HAVE ANY NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THE CURRENT DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS. CHINESE SOURCES TOLD THE PAPER THAT THERE HAD BEEN SOME 'SUBTLE CHANGES' IN THE STATEMENT, WHICH TO THEM HAD SHOWN SOME RESTRAINT. THEY SAW THE STATEMENT AS LESS PROVOCATIVE, AS THE STATEMENT DID NOT INSIST ON ANYTHING BUT STRESSED THE WILLINGNESS TO TALK ON THE BASIS OF THE COMPLIANCES.

3.

IN AN INTERVIEW WITH MING PAO AFTER THE GOVERNOR HAD MADE THE STATEMENT, HKMAO OFFICIAL ZHANG XIAOMING SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING NEW IN THE STATEMENT AND THE GOVERNOR'S MOVE WOULD HAVE NO/NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS UNDERWAY. BUT THE REPORT SAID THAT ZHANG EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS ON CONDUCTING TALKS BASED ON THE THREE COMPLIANCES.

4.

ZHANG REITERATED THAT ONCE AN AGREEMENT WAS REACHED, IT WOULD BE LIKE THE JD AND COULD NOT BE CHANGED AFTER SIGNING BY BOTH SIDES. HE SAID THAT IT WOULD NOT MATTER HOW THE BRITISH WOULD IMPLEMENT SUCH AGREEMENT, WHICH COULD BE UP TO LEGCO TO LEGISLATE FOR IMPLEMENTATION. THE CHINESE WERE MAKING NO DEMANDS ON THIS. THE ONLY THING THEY COULD NOT ALLOW WAS FOR LEGCO TO OVERTURN AND AMEND THE AGREEMENT, IN WHICH THE THREE-LEGGED STOOL WOULD ARISE.

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