TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 253

JIEQIONG.

UNCLASSIFIED

042545 MDLIAN 1832

LEGCO

32. THE CHINESE NEWS AGENCY (10.5) ISSUED AN ARTICLE SAYING THE WAY THE GOVERNMENT WAS SPENDING HUGE SUMS OF MONEY ON LEGCO HAD CAUSED PUBLIC CONCERN. THE ARTICLE CLAIMED THE EXPANSION OF THE LEGCO BUILDING, THE CREATION OF DIRECTORATE POSTS AND APPROVAL OF AN INCREASE IN ALLOWANCES FOR LEGCO MEMBERS INDICATED THE GOVERNMENT WAS TRYING TO BOOST LEGCO.

PLA

33. MANY PAPERS NOTED (5.5) AN ARTICLE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE MIRROR MAGAZINE DISCLOSED THAT THE CPC CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION HAD SET UP A SPECIAL DEPARTMENT, IN ACCORDANCE WITH STIPULATIONS IN THE BL, TO STUDY AND FORMULATE A BLUEPRINT FOR THE STATIONING OF PLA SOLDIERS IN HK AFTER 1997. THE DEPARTMENT WAS HEADED BY A DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF LI JIN AND THE BLUEPRINT INCLUDED THE PLA'S MISSION, SIZE, COMPOSITION, WEAPONRY

AND POSITIONING.

SURVEY

34. THE PAPERS REPORTED (1.5) THE FINDINGS OF A POLL COVERING 622 PEOPLE CONDUCTED BY THE HKU SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTRE. RESULTS SHOWED MORE THAN 60 PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF THE TALKS, 16 PERCENT POINTS HIGHER THAN BEFORE THE TALKS. NEARLY 70 PERCENT WERE OPPOSED TO SECRET DEALS, WHILE ABOUT 40 PERCENT WERE WORRIED THAT HK PEOPLE'S WISHES WOULD NOT BE FULLY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT.

XU JIATUN

35. IN A PRELUDE TO THE MEMOIRS TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED DAILY NEWS (4.5) XU JIATUN WROTE THE MEMOIRS WOULD FOLLOW THREE LINES OF DEVELOPMENT: CO-OPERATION AND CONFRONTATION BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN: THE RESPONSES. OF THE VARIOUS SECTORS IN THE HK COMMUNITY AND STRATEGY OF THE CHINESE LEADERS: AND THE CONFLICTS AMONG THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY TOWARDS HK. THE PAPER ALSO CARRIED AN INTERVIEW WITH MR XU, IN WHICH HE SAID HE WAS STILL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HK'S FUTURE. COMMENTING ON THE POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS, HE SAID THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME WOULD BE FOR THE BRITISH TO MAKE MAJOR CONCESSIONS AND THE CHINESE TO MAKE MINOR CONCESSIONS.

PATTEN

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