TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 41

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MDLIAN 6283

TRANSITIONAL PERIOD (NOT THOSE WHO ASKED FOR FULL DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1995).

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THE PAPERS (19.7) NOTED PROMINENTLY AT A MEETING OF THE SAR PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE, CHINESE VICE-FOREIGN MINISTER JIANG ENZHU MENTIONED FOUR DEMANDS RAISED BY THE BRITISH SIDE AT THE TALKS - BRITAIN SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE WORK OF THE SARPC, THE LEGISLATURE IN 2007 SHOULD BE RETURNED FULLY BY DIRECT ELECTIONS, THE ELECTION COMMITTEE TO SELECT LEGISLATORS SHOULD BECOME THE SELECTION COMMITTEE TO CHOOSE THE FIRST SAR CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND TO SET OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE 'THROUGH TRAIN'. A HONG KONG MEMBER OF THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE, LAU SIU-KAI, QUOTED JIANG AS SAYING CHINA WOULD NOT MAKE ANY CONCESSIONS ON THE FIRST THREE DEMANDS. LAU ALSO SAID JIANG HAD NOT MENTIONED WHETHER THE QUESTION OF '.THROUGH TRAIN' HAD BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE TALKS. HKMAO DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHEN ZIYING DECLINED TO COMMENT ON WHETHER JIANG'S REMARKS HAD DISCLOSED THE CONTENTS OF THE TALKS. CHEN SAID JIANG WAS ONLY REITERATING CHINA'S STAND.

9.

QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES (19.7) THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL SAID THE SETTING UP OF THE COMMITTEE DEMONSTRATED CHINA'S DETERMINATION TO RESUME SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT THE CHINESE SIDE GAVE THE COMMITTEE SIX MONTHS TO COME UP WITH ITS WORK PLAN SHOWED IT HAD ALLOWED SOME FLEXIBILITY SO THAT IT COULD ADJUST ITS TAKEOVER STRATEGIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROGRESS AT THE TALKS. ACCORDING TO CHINESE SOURCES, THE TALKS HAD ENTERED A CRUCIAL STAGE. THE BRITISH SIDE SHOULD NOT THEREFORE RAISE UNREASONABLE REQUESTS RELATING TO THE THROUGH TRAIN' WHICH WOULD POSE OBSTACLES TO THE TALKS.

10.

QUOTING INFORMATION FROM VARIOUS SOURCES (19.7) THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS REPORTED THE CHINESE AND BRITISH SIDES WOULD NEED FIVE OR SIX MORE ROUNDS BEFORE THEY KNEW WHETHER AN AGREEMENT COULD BE REACHED. THE PAPER SAID BOTH SIDES WOULD STRIVE TO RESOLVE THE 'THROUGH TRAIN' QUESTION FIRST. HOWEVER, AGREEMENT ON THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND THE ELECTION COMMITTEE MIGHT NOT BE POSSIBLE AS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES WERE TOO WIDE. REFERRING TO DIPLOMATIC SOURCES IN PEKING, THE PAPER SAID THE NINTH ROUND WOULD LIKELY BE HELD AFTER MID-AUGUST. THEREAFTER THE TALKS WOULD BE HELD ON A WEEKLY BASIS SO THAT AN AGREEMENT COULD REACHED IN OCTOBER.

11.

THE PAPERS NOTED (20.7) SIR ROBIN MCLAREN SAID IN PEKING HE HOPED THE EIGHTH ROUND, FOLLOWING THE RECENT MEETING BETWEEN

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