TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 368

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WAS ONLY AN ADVISORY BODY AND TO MAKE LEGCO APPROVE HIS PACKAGE OR COMPROMISED PACKAGE WAS PART OF THE GOVERNOR'S 'THREE-LEGGED STOOL' TACTICS. WEN WEI PO ECHOED NCNA HK VICE DIRECTOR ZHENG GUOXIONG'S REMARKS THAT CHINA WOULD NOT ACCEPT ANY AMENDED PACKAGE IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE BL PASSED BY LEGCO AS THE BODY WAS CONTROLLED BY THE BRITISH HKG. IT SAID LEGCO HAD NO RIGHT TO

VETO THE JD AND AGREEMENTS REACHED BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN ON CONVERGENCE. IF CHINA STARTED TO RECOGNISE POLITICAL REFORMS ADOPTED BY LEGCO, IT WOULD SET A PRECEDENT FOR THE BRITISH IN THE NEXT 4 1/2 YEARS TO USE THE 'LEGCO TAG' TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANTED.

4.

WAH KIU YAT PO NOTED (7.1) THE GOVERNOR, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH SINGAPORE'S BUSINESS TIMES, REFUTED THE FORMER SINGAPORE PRIME MINISTER LEE KUAN YEW'S CONSPIRACY THEORY. THE GOVERNOR SAID NO ONE WOULD STAND TO BENEFIT FROM A CHINA ENCOUNTERING PROBLEMS SUCH AS THESE FACED BY THE FORMER SOVIET UNION UPON ITS BREAKUP. CHINA WAS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR GLOBAL PROSPERITY IN THE FUTURE

AND ITS ECONOMIC SUCCESS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

5.

REPORTS NOTED (7.1) CRC'S POSITION PAPER ON POLITICAL REFORMS AND ITS MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR. IN THE POSITION PAPER CRC

LISTED THREE MAJOR PRINCIPLES: THE COMPOSITION OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE SHOULD BE IN ACCORDANCE TO THE UNDERSTANDING REACHED IN

SINO-BRITISH DIPLOMATIC EXCHANGES IN EARLY 1990: THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES SHOULD BE DEFINED ALONG THE LINES OF THE WHITE PAPERS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN 1984 AND 1988 AND IN LINE WITH THE EXISTING 21: THE ABOLITION OF APPOINTED SEATS IN DBS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS SHOULD BE POSTPONED IN ACCORDANCE TO THE WISHES OF THE MAJORITY OF THE DB/MUNICIPAL COUNCILS CHAIRMEN AND MEMBERS. REPORTS ALSO NOTED (8.1) THE GOVERNOR'S MEETINGS WITH DAB AND MEETING POINT. THE

CHAIRMAN OF THESE TWO GROUPS INDICATED THE GOVERNOR HAD NOT CHANGED HIS STANCE ON HIS POLITICAL PACKAGE.

6.

REMARKS BY LU PING IN PEKING TO REPORTERS AND THE VISITING HK

CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DELEGATION WERE PROMINENTLY NOTED (8.1). MR LU WAS QUOTED AS SAYING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AIRPORT MOU, THERE SHOULD BE A MEETING IN MARCH BETWEEN THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY AND THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER, BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO DEPEND ON BRITAIN'S ATTITUDE AND WHETHER THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO GO AHEAD WITH THE MEETING. FROM THE ANGEL OF THE CHINESE THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM. MR LU ADDED THAT THE

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