TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 135

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REACH A NEW AGREEMENT ON THE TRANSITION OF HK, GIVEN THE RECENT POSITIVE MOVES TAKEN BY THE CHINESE SIDE: THE TABLING OF A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS AT THE LAST TWO ROUNDS OF POLITICAL TALKS AND THE POSITIVE ATTITUDE RECENTLY ADOPTED BY THE CHINESE SIDE ON ECONOMIC ISSUES.

4. ON THE QUESTION OF LEAKAGES, MING PAO LEARNT THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD PROTEST AT THE SIXTH ROUND AGAINST CHINESE DISCLOSURE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE TALKS IN WEN WEI PO ON 19 JUNE. SEPARATELY, UNITED DAILY UNDERSTOOD THAT PEKING WAS UNHAPPY WITH DISCLOSURE OF THE TALKS BY CHINESE ORGANISATIONS IN HK.

PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE

5.

THE PAPERS WIDELY REPORTED THAT NPC STANDING COMMITTEE VICE- CHAIRMAN TIAN JIYUN AT THE NPC/SC MEETING STARTING TODAY MADE AN EXPLANATORY INTRODUCTION ON THE DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ON THE SETTING UP THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE OF THE SAR PREPARATORY 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 (SEE FOR EXAMPLE PARA 2 OF OUR TELNO 1010). (FULL LIST AND BIOGRAPHY OF MEMBERS WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY BY FAX TO BUNTEN, HKD AND ROGAN, PEKING).

6.

NPC/SC VICE-CHAIRMAN LI PEIYAO WAS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID ON 22 JUNE THAT THE DRAFT RESOLUTIONS WOULD BE CONSIDERED LATER, PROBABLY AFTER 27 JUNE. HE SAID THAT THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE ABOLISHED ON ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE AND THAT IT WOULD NOT FORM A SECOND CENTRE OF POWER. WEN WEI PO QUOTED ZHOU NAN AS SAYING ON 22 JUNE THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE SHOULD NOT AFFECT THE ON-GOING POLITICAL TALKS OR HKG'S ADMINISTRATION DURING THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD. WHEN ASKED ON WHETHER THE COMMITTEE WOULD CO-OPERATE WITH THE HKG, ZHOU SAID THAT THE COMMITTEE WAS A MATTER FOR THE CHINESE SIDE.

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

7.

8.

REACTIONS MAINLY POINTED TO THE UNBALANCED MEMBERSHIP OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE. ANTHONY CHEUNG OF MEETING POINT SAID THAT THE DEVELOPING FORCE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN DUE

THE EXPRESS NOTED THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE HK

REPRESENTATION.

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