TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 155

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174621 MDLIAN 0333

NCNA AND WOULD NOT MAKE OFFICIAL CONTACT WITH THE HKG. NOTING THIS WAS THE FIRST VISIT BY CHINESE OFFICIALS SINCE THE GOVERNOR VISITED PEKING LAST OCTOBER, THE PAPER SAW THE VISIT AS A SIGN OF THAWING SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS. THE REPORT SAID THE TWO WOULD CONDUCT CONSULTATIONS AND WORKING MEETINGS WITH ECONOMIC PERSONNEL, LOCAL POLITICAL GROUPS AND HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION WOULD INCLUDE FINANCING OF THE NEW AIRPORT, CT9 AND MAINLAND-FUNDED ENTERPRISES IN HK. THE TRIP WOULD ALSO BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER STRATEGY FOR THE CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS.

27. PAPERS NOTED (20.6) THAT HKMAO VICE-DIRECTOR WANG QIREN SAID POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES SHOULD BE DEALT WITH SEPARATELY. MR WANG SAID WHILE THE NEW AIRPORT SHOULD BE RESOLVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MOU THE POLITICAL TALKS SHOULD BE BASED ON THE 'THREE CONFORMITIES'.

PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN

28. SING TAO DAILY (21.6) CARRIED THE TEXT OF THE BILL RELATING TO THE SETTING UP OF THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN OF THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. THE BILL SAID HK PEOPLE SITTING ON THE WORK ORGAN, WHICH WOULD CEASE TO OPERATE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE, WOULD NOT BE LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL MEMBERSHIP. BOTH MING PAO AND WAH KIU YAT PO UNDERSTOOD THAT NCNA VICE DIRECTOR, QIN WENJUN, HAD ALREADY SENT OUT INVITATIONS TO HK PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE ASKED TO SIT ON THE WORK ORGAN. MING PAO SAID THEY INCLUDED XU SIMIN, LIU YIU-CHU, LO TAK-SING AND VINCENT LO. THE WORK ORGAN AND ITS SECRETARIAT WOULD BE SET UP IN PEKING WHILE A LIAISON OFFICE MIGHT BE SET UP IN SHENZHEN. QUOTING SOURCES, WAH KIU SAID THE FIRST MEETING OF THE WORK ORGAN WOULD BE HELD ON 15 JULY.

29. IN A SPECIAL FEATURE, WEN WEI (21.6) CARRIED AN INTERVIEW WITH A PERSON WHO WAS SAID TO BE FAMILIAR WITH HK AFFAIRS ON THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN. HE SAID THE WORK ORGAN WOULD STUDY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST SAR GOVERNMENT AND THE LEGISLATURE AND WOULD RAISE VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. IT WOULD NOT BECOME A POWER CENTRE. ON WHETHER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN AT THIS TIME WAS TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE TALKS IN THE FORM OF 'ANOTHER STOVE', HE SAID THE OTHER STOVE' RAISED BY THE CHINESE SIDE WAS ENTIRELY IN RESPONSE TO THE THREE VIOLATIONS' OF THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE. IF ISSUES DURING THE TRANSITION WERE HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BL, THE QUESTION OF BUILDING ANOTHER STOVE' WOULD NOT EXIST. AS THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN WAS TO WORK TOWARDS

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