TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 251

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042545 MDLIAN 1832

'TRADE AGAINST TRADE'.

CHENG MING MAGAZINE

26. AN ARTICLE IN THE MAY ISSUE OF CHENG MING MAGAZINE SAID THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NO INTENTION OF MAKING ANY CONCESSIONS IN THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS, AS JUDGED FROM RECENT REMARKS BY SENIOR LEADERS. FOR INSTANCE, JIANG ZEMIN, AT A JOINT MEETING OF POLITBURO AND THE STATE COUNCIL ON 6 APRIL SAID CHINA HELD THE TRUMP CARD. BUT SINCE BRITAIN WAS KEEN ON PLAYING DIPLOMACY CHINA WOULD BE HAPPY TO GO ALONG. ON 8 APRIL, LI PENG TOLD A HKMAO MEETING A SEPARATE KITCHEN WOULD BE SET UP. ON 13 APRIL, LU PING SAID IF BRITAIN DID NOT STOP PLAYING POLITICS, THE ONLY THINK THAT COULD BE DONE WAS TO SPEED UP THE PREPARATORY WORK OF THE SAR. ON 24 APRIL, WU XUEQIAN SAID AT A BRIEFING FOR THE HKMAO THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD NO BARGAINING POWER WHATSOEVER.

27. QUOTING SUCCESS IN THE HKMAO, THE ARTICLE NOTED DURING THE TALKS ON 23 AND 24 APRIL, MUCH TIME WAS SPENT BY BOTH SIDES ON STATING THEIR POSITION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE THREE COMPLIANCES. THE CHINESE SIDE WANTED TO CONFINE THE TALKS TO THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN 1994/95, BUT THE BRITISH ASKED TO DISCUSS A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES INCLUDING THE THROUGH TRAIN. THE SOURCES ALSO NOTED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED, BUT BOTH SIDES EXPRESSED WILLINGNESS TO CONSULT FURTHER. ACCORDING TO A SENIOR OFFICIAL, MANY MORE ROUNDS OF TALKS WOULD BE REQUIRED IF AGREEMENT WAS TO BE REACHED. HE WOULD NOT RULE OUT COMPLICATIONS OR EVEN BREAKDOWN OF THE TALKS.

CIVIL SERVICE

28. REMARKS BY THE VICE DIRECTOR OF NCNA'S RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, ZHANG XIANGLIN, AT A SEMINAR ON THE ROLE OF CIVIL SERVANTS WERE PROMINENTLY REPORTED (7.5). MR ZHANG SAID NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED TO SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS, CHINA'S POLICY TOWARDS HK'S CIVIL SERVANTS WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED..HE STRESSED THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF REPRISALS AGAINST CIVIL SERVANTS, INCLUDING THE POLICE FORCE, AFTER 1997, ADDING CIVIL SERVANTS SHOULD CARRY OUT THEIR WORK DUTIFULLY. MR ZHANG URGED SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS WHO WERE INVOLVED IN POLICY MAKING TO WORK ON THE BASIS OF THE 'THREE CONFORMITIES' SO AS TO ENSURE HK'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY AND A SMOOTH TRANSITION. AS REGARDS THOSE OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN SENSITIVE WORK, SUCH AS IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS BRANCH, MR ZHANG SAID THESE OFFICIALS WOULD NOT BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY AND WOULD BE HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BL. HE SAID MOST CIVIL SERVANTS SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEMS. BUT SENIOR OFFICIALS SUCH AS

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