TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 263

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020430

MDHIAN 9185

CHEN ZIYING

8. HKMAO STATE COUNCIL DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CHEN ZIYING, COMPARED THE CURRENT TALKS TO CLIMBING THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. IN MEETING A LABOUR DELEGATION FROM HONG KONG, CHEN SAID YESTERDAY THAT THE TALKS WERE PROCEEDING NORMALLY: AS LONG AS THE PRINCIPLE OF THE THREE COMPLIANCES WAS ADHERED TO, THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY PROBLEM THAT COULD NOT BE SOLVED. HE SAID THAT THERE HAD BEEN TWO ROUNDS OF TALKS SO FAR AND THAT THIS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A LOT CONCERNING THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS THAT NEEDED DISCUSSION. CHEN ALSO SAID CHINA WAS ADOPTING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE NEW AIRPORT AND CT9.

GOVERNOR'S US VISIT

9. HK ECONOMIC TIMES NOTED TODAY THAT NCNA HK BRANCH OFFICIALS WERE VERY SUSPICIOUS OF THE GOVERNOR'S MOTIVES BEHIND HIS U S VISIT. THE PAPER QUOTED AN NCNA OFFICIAL AS SAYING IN PRIVATE THAT THE GOVERNOR COULD BE SAYING THE OPPOSITE AND USING THE CONDITIONAL RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MEN STATUS AS BRITAIN'S LEVERAGE IN THE TALKS. THE OFFICIAL ADDED THAT THE MORE THE GOVERNOR SAID ABOUT THE MFN, THE MORE SUSPICIOUS NCNA BECAME ABOUT HIS MOTIVES.

CHINA DAILY CORRECTION

10. MANY PAPERS NOTED THAT CHINA DAILY HAD ISSUED A CORRECTION YESTERDAY TO ITS USE OF THE TERM ''DELEGATION'' IN AN EARLIER REPORT ON THE TALKS (OUR TELNO 664). THE CORRECTION SAID THAT THE WORDS ''HEADED THE DELEGATIONS'' SHOULD READ HELD THE TALKS, NOTING THAT 'THE ERROR WAS MADE BECAUSE OF A MIS- TRANSLATION''

LEFT-WING COMMENTARIES

T T

11. A COMMENTARY IN WEN WEI PO NOTED THAT AS THE PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT OF 13 APRIL MADE CLEAR, THE TALKS WERE ON THE SPECIFIC ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1994/95. THERE WAS NO MENTION ABOUT THE QUESTION OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, FOR WHICH THE WRITER CONTENDED THE BL HAD LAID DOWN FIRM PROVISIONS. AS SUCH THE CURRENT TALKS SHOULD NOT BE AIMED AT RESOLVING THE QUESTION OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT. OTHERWISE THE CHINESE WOULD FALL INTO THE TRAP OF THE BRITISH. THE BRITISH DEMAND FOR A COMPLETE THROUGH TRAIN WAS AN ATTEMPT TO BOTH PERPETUATE BRITISH INFLUENCE IN THE SAR AND NEGATE THE BL PROVISIONS ON THE THROUGH TRAIN. IT CONCLUDED THAT THE THROUGH TRAIN WAS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE AND WITHIN CHINA'S SOVEREIGN RIGHT: THE BRITISH HAD NO/NO RIGHT TO INTERFERE OR TO ASK FOR CHINESE GUARANTEE.

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