TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 229

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 672

OF 180907Z MAY 93

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

Котовир

pr. Press Roundups

064633 MDHIAN 1283

(24)

HONG KONG: CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PRESS REPORTS

SUMMARY

1.

REITERATION OF THE CHINESE POSITION BY JIANG ZEMIN TO LORD CALLAGHAN, AND, MORE POINTEDLY, BY QIAN QICHEN TO THE HK WEST KOWLOON ALL-CIRCLES ASSOCIATION, WITH THE MESSAGE THAT BRITAIN IS (SO FAR) STILL NOT ADHERING TO PREVIOUS AGREEMENTS AND

UNDERSTANDING.

DETAIL

2.

PEOPLE'S DAILY (19 MAY) CARRIES A REPORT OF JIANG ZEMIN'S COMMENTS ON HONG KONG TO LORD CALLAGHAN DURING THEIR MEETING ON 17 MAY. JIANG SAID LORD CALLAGHAN WAS AN OLD FRIEND OF CHINA WHO HAD CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS DURING HIS TIME AS PRIME MINISTER. CHINA HAD ALWAYS ATTACHED IMPORTANCE TO ITS RELATIONS WITH BRITAIN: A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WAS NOT ONLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE TWO PEOPLES BUT ALSO CONDUCIVE TO WORLD PEACE. THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG WAS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP. PROTECTING HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY AND ENSURING A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997 WERE IN THE COMMON INTERESTS OF CHINA AND BRITAIN. JIANG BELIEVED THAT THE CURRENT TALKS ON THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS IN HONG KONG COULD PRODUCE POSITIVE RESULTS IF THE TWO SIDES ADHERED TO THE JD, THE PRINCIPLE OF CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL AND EXISTING SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS.

3.

LORD CALLAGHAN IS REPORTED AS REPLYING THAT HE HOPED FOR SINO-BRITISH COOPERATION TO GUARANTEE HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY, STABILITY AND A SMOOTH TRANSITION, AND WISHED SUCCESS TO CHINA'S MODERNISATION PROGRAMME.

4. CHINA DAILY (18 MAY) GAVE THE FRONT PAGE LEAD TO THIS STORY UNDER THE HEADLINE 'LET'S STICK TO AGREED PRINCIPLES, JIANG SAYS''. THE CHINA DAILY DID NOT REPORT LORD CALLAGHAN'S REMARKS.

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