TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 123

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015741 MDLIAN 1904

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FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1053

OF 290935Z JUNE 93

INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA

PART TWO OF TWO

17. THE PAPERS WIDELY REPORTED (23.6) NPC STANDING COMMITTEE VICE- CHAIRMAN TIAN JIYUN AT THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING MADE AN EXPLANATORY INTRODUCTION ON THE DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ON THE SETTING UP OF THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE. ACCORDING TO AN UNNAMED NPC DELEGATE, THE WORKING COMMITTEE WOULD COMPRISE 27 MAINLAND AND 30 HK DELEGATES. THE SOURCE SAID THAT QIAN QICHEN WAS NOMINATED AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE COMMITTEE. THIS WAS DIFFERENT FROM EARLIER REPORTS THAT WANG HANBIN WOULD ASSUME THE POSITION.

18.

WEN WEI PO QUOTED (22.6) ZHOU NAN AS SAYING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE SHOULD NOT AFFECT THE ON-GOING TALKS OR HKG'S ADMINISTRATION DURING THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD. WHEN ASKED WHETHER THE COMMITTEE WOULD CO-OPERATE WITH THE HKG, MR ZHOU SAID THE COMMITTEE WAS A MATTER FOR THE CHINESE SIDE.

19. SOME PAPERS REPORTED (23.6) DELEGATES WOULD BE APPOINTED IN THEIR PERSONAL CAPACITIES AND MEMBERSHIP MIGHT BE EXPANDED DEPENDING ON FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

20. REACTIONS (23.6) MAINLY POINTED TO THE UNBALANCED MEMBERSHIP OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE. ANTHONY CHEUNG OF MEETING POINT SAID THE DEVELOPING FORCE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN DUE REPRESENTATION. THE EXPRESS NOTED MORE THAN HALF OF THE HK MEMBERS WERE CAPITALISTS AND THE REST WERE ALL PRO-CHINA POLITICAL FIGURES. ALSO, 27 OUT OF THE 30 HK MEMBERS WERE HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS.

21. THE PAPERS (24.6) QUOTED THE GOVERNOR AS SAYING THE SETTING UP OF THE COMMITTEE WOULD NOT AFFECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY OF THE HKG AND THE APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE WAS CHINA'S MATTER AND DID NOT INFRINGE ON BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY OVER HK BEFORE 1997.

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