TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 369

UNCLASSIFIED

050160

MDLIAN 6810

MEETING WOULD NOT NECESSARILY DISCUSS HK MATTERS: IT COULD

DISCUSS OTHER BILATERAL OR INTERNATIONAL ISSUES. MR LU INDICATED THE GOVERNOR WAS WRONG IN ADOPTING A STRONG CONFRONTATIONAL POLICY AGAINST CHINA. MR LU SAID THE REALITY WAS AS A RESULT OF SUCH A POLICY, THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD BE IN A MORE AND MORE PASSIVE POSITION, AS IN THE CASE OF THE AIRPORT. MR LU SAID THE GOVERNOR HAD ACTED AS A 'NEGATIVE EXAMPLE' DEMONSTRATING IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION, THERE SHOULD BE CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL. IT WAS NOTED MR LU DISMISSED REPORTS THAT THE CHINESE

SIDE HAD RULED OUT THE GOVERNOR AS A NEGOTIATING PARTNER. HE

ALSO DISMISSED REPORTS THAT THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER AND BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY COULD NOT MEET UNTIL THE GOVERNOR WITHDREW HIS PROPOSALS. AS REGARDS THE TIMING TO SET UP A CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION, MR LU INDICATED THE CHINESE WOULD NOT NECESSARILY WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE LEGCO DEBATE ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS. THE SCMP NOTED MR LU AS SAYING CHINA WOULD DEFINITELY REJECT ANY DECISION BY LEGCO WHICH FAILED TO CONVERGE WITH THE BL, BUT DECLINED TO SAY WHETHER CHINA WOULD ACCEPT ANY PACKAGE WHICH WOULD CONVERGE.

7.

THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY, WU JIANMIN, AT A REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING IN PEKING (8.1) REITERATED THAT THE GOVERNOR SHOULD WITHDRAW HIS POLITICAL PROPOSALS AND RETURN TO THE TRACK OF THE JD. WHETHER THE MEETING BETWEEN THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER AND THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY WOULD TAKE PLACE IN MARCH AS PROVIDED IN THE AIRPORT MOU WOULD DEPEND ON THE

ATTITUDE OF THE BRITISH SIDE.

8.

PROMINENT COVERAGE WAS GIVEN (9.1) TO REMARKS BY CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY GENERAL SECRETARY, JIANG ZEMIN IN PEKING TO THE HK CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DELEGATION. IT WAS NOTED MR JIANG EXPRESSED CONFIDENCE IN A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND SAID 'ALTHOUGH OCCASIONALLY THERE WERE STRONG WIND AND RAIN, ONE DAY THE SKY WOULD CLEAR UP AND THE RAIN WOULD STOP'. MR JIANG REITERATED THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD STICK TO THEIR PROMISES AND RESPECT THE LAW. HE HOPED THE BRITISH HKG WOULD GO BACK TO THE JD/BL STANCE. SOME REPORTS NOTED WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE REMARKS BY MR JIANG, NCNA HK VICE DIRECTOR ZHENG GUOXIONG TOLD REPORTERS CHINA HAD CONFIDENCE THE CURRENT DISPUTE COULD BE RESOLVED, BUT ULTIMATELY THIS WOULD DEPEND ON THE ATTITUDE OF THE BRITISH SIDE. CHINESE PREMIER LI PENG WAS QUOTED

BY THE HK CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DELEGATION LEADER AS SAYING THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD DEFINITELY NOT CONCEDE ON

REPORTS ALSO NOTED MR LI SAID CHINA WOULD

MATTERS OF PRINCIPLE.

3

PAGE

UNCLASSIFIED