TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 139

HK MEMBERS

UNCLASSIFIED

176633 MDHIAN 513

/

TSANG RAYMOND

LEUNG CHUN-YING (BLCC MEMBER), TSANG HIN-TSE (BLCC MEMBER), TSUI TSIN-TONG (BLCC MEMBER) VINCENT LO (BLCC MEMBER), DOROTHY LIU (BLDC AND BLCC MEMBER) LEE KA-SHING (BLDC AND BLCC MEMBER), YOK-SING (DAB CHAIRMAN), NG HONG-MAN (HK DELEGATE TO NPC), WU (BLDC MEMBER) WONG PO-YAN (BLDC MEMBER), SIMON LI (BLDC

· MEMBER), RAYSON HUANG (BLDC MEMBER), CHAN YAT-SUN, TSUI SZE-MAN MARIA TAM (BLDC (BLCC MEMBER), RITA FAN (EX-EXCO/LEGCO MEMBER), MEMBER), SIR S.Y.

TALKS

3

CHUNG

THE LABOUR DELEGATION ALSO QUOTED CHEN ZIYING AS SAYING THAT SINCERITY CAME FROM THREE SOURCES: WHETHER THE TWO SIDES STILL UPHOLD PREVIOUS SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS: WHETHER THEY WOULD IMPLEMENT THE COMMON GOAL OF MAINTAINING HK'S SOCIAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY: AND WHETHER THEY WOULD RESOLVE

CHEN HOPED THAT THE MATTERS THROUGH CO-OPERATIVE CONSULTATION. BRITISH SIDE WOULD NOT USE THE TALKS AS A ''CARD'' AND WOULD PLAY NO MORE PETTY TRICKS.

4. SOME PAPERS REPORTED THAT SIR ROBIN MCLAREN HAD REACTED STRONGLY TO PRESS QUESTIONS ABOUT SINCERITY AND THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE TALKS MIGHT BREAK DOWN. HE WAS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID THAT IT WAS COMMON CHINESE PRACTICE TO PUSH RESPONSIBILITY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NEGOTIATION TABLE, AND THAT HE SAW NO REASON TO EXPECT A BREAK DOWN OF THE TALKS.

5. QUOTING A SOURCE CLOSE TO EXCO, HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL REPORTED THAT THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO THE TALKS WAS CHINESE UNWILLINGNESS TO PUT FORWARD A PACKAGE OF CONCRETE PROPOSALS. THE SOURCE CONFIRMED THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD PRESENTED A SERIES OF PROPOSALS AT THE VERY START OF THE TALKS: ALL LEGISLATORS ELECTED IN 1995 SHOULD RIDE THE THROUGH TRAIN: THE ELECTION COMMITTEES FOR THE SAR LEGISLATURE AND THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE SHOULD BE FORMED USING THE SAME METHOD: THE BRITISH SIDE SHOULD HAVE INFLUENCE OVER THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE: AND THE LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE FULLY ELECTED BY THE YEAR 2007. THE PAPER UNDERSTOOD THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WERE ONLY PREPARED TO DISCUSS THE THROUGH TRAIN BUT CONSIDERED THE OTHER PROPOSALS MATTERS FOR THE CHINESE SIDE. THE PAPER ALSO QUOTED A HKG SOURCE AS SAYING THAT AT THE SIXTH ROUND THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD PROTEST AGAINST CHINESE DISCLOSURE OF THE CONTENT OF THE TALKS.

2

PAGE UNCLASSIFIED