TNAG-2767-FCO40-3984-Hong-Kong-and-the-media-interviews--press-briefings-and-the--1993 — Page 109

17-MAR-1993

18:09

HK GOVERNMENT HOUSE

1

852 521 1868

P.03

Trascipit

QUESTION:

I AM WITH ATV OF HONG KONG,

BY

ACCORDING TO THE NEWS PROVIDED THE BRITISH SIDE AT THE CONCLUDING STAGE OF THE CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN. THE CHINESE SIDE DID NOT WANT TO MAKE A DECISION ON GOVERNOR OF THE DATE FOR THE START OF THE TALKS AND AS A RESULT THE HONG KONG DECIDED TO GAZETTE HIS CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE. COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROCESS OF THE CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN CHINA THE CURRENT AND BRITAIN. IN PREPARATION FOR THE TALKS AND IN VIEW OF SITUATION WILL IT STILL BE POSSIBLE FOR CHINA AND BRITAIN TO TALKS?

RESTART

DIRECTOR:

AS

A

THE REPORT THAT YOU JUST REFERRED TO IS NOT ACCURATE. MATTER OF FACT THE CHINESE SIDE ALREADY AGREED IN THE CONSULTATIONS RESOLVED BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES THAT IF ALL THE PROBLEMS CAN BE THEN OUR TWO SIDES CAN ́START OUR TALKS IN MARCH. AND, OF COURSE, WITH REGARD

FURTHER TO THIS SPECIFIC DATE THE TWO SIDES SHOULD HAVE SOME DISCUSSIONS. SO THE REPORT THAT YOU JUST REFERRED TO IS NOT ACCURATE.

WE

WELL

THE

AND

TO

THE

WERE

WHEN THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG MADE A STATEMENT TO THE LEGCO IN HONG.

PACKAGE KONG WITH REGARD TO THE GAZETTING OF HIS CONSTITUTIONAL ON 12 MARCH, WE WERE SHOCKED BUT ON THE OTHER HAND HIS MOVE WAS WITHIN OUR

HEARD EXPECTATIONS. WE SAY WE WERE SHOCKED WHEN WE

CHINA STATEMENT BECAUSE BEFORE 12 MARCH. THE TWO SIDES. THAT IS BRITAIN, WERE GRADUALLY REDUCING OUR DIFFERENCES WITH REGARD ARRANGEMENT FOR THE TALKS BETWEEN THE

WE TWO GOVERNMENTS. REACHING AN AGREEMENT. WE SEEMED AT THAT TIME THAT

WOULD SOON START OUR TALKS. REGRETABLY AT 3 O'CLOCK ON THE AFTERNOON OF 12 LEGCO MARCH, GOVERNOR PATTEN OF HONG KONG MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE WHICH

PACKAGE. SAID THAT HE WOULD GO AHEAD WITH THE GAZETTING OF HIS

THE TALKS, WELL. ORIGINALLY IT SEEMED THAT WE COULD MOVE AHEAD WITH

US HOWEVER DUE TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT HE HAD MADE, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THE TALKS. WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY MR PATTEN WAS IN SUCH A HURRY TO GAZETTE HIS CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE BECAUSE IN COURSE OF THE

BE TALKS IT SEEMED THAT IT WOULD NOT

DIFFICULT RESOLVE THE OTHER DIFFERENCES WITH REGARD TO TALKS.

BETWEEN

THE

TO

WELL

FOR

OF

THE

MOVE

TALKS

OF

HE HAS A COMMON BETWEEN THE

THE

ALL SO-CALLED OF HONG

WELL.

MOVE WAS ON THE OTHER HAND WE ALSO SAY THAT HIS WITHIN OUR EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE MR PATTEN NEVER HAD ANY SINCERITY

ON CHINA

THE AND BRITAIN

ISSUE THE DISCUSSIONS ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994/1995 ELECTIONS IN HONG KONG. WELL HIS

FULLY PROVES THIS TIME

THE

OUR VIEW. CORRECTNESS OF DELIBERATELY UNDER-MINED OUR TALKS AND THE TALKS HAVE LOST BASIS. BY SO DOING, MR PATTEN HAS SHUT THE DOOR' OF CHINA AND BRITAIN.

BECAUSE FIRST WHY DO I SAY THIS? CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS

ALONG HELD THAT ALL CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE PUT FORWARD BY GOVERNOR CHRIS PATTEN KONG HAS VIOLATED THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION, THE BASIC LAW AS OUR WELL AS THE AGREEMENTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS ALREADY REACHED BETWEEN

THAT CHRIS TWO GOVERNMENTS. SO IT HAS ALL ALONG BEEN OUR POSITION PATTEN SHOULD WITHDRAW AND ABANDON HIS PLAN.