TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 48

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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

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DESK OFFICER

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INDEX

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REGISTRY Action Taken

OF 191044Z JULY 98

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG

ONG KONG

ja- Puss Randy

067731

MDHIAN 9326

TOP COPY Q DIST?

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CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PRESS REPORTS (18 19 JULY 1993)

TALKS

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1. THE PAPERS NOTED PROMINENTLY THAT AT A MEETING OF THE SARPC PWC ON SATURDAY CHINESE VICE-FOREIGN MINISTER JIANG ENZHU MENTIONED FOUR DEMANDS RAISED BY THE BRITISH SIDE AT THE TALKS THAT 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 HK MEMBER OF THE PWC, LAU SIU-KAI, QUOTED JIANG AS SAYING THAT CHINA WOULD NOT MAKE ANY CONCESSIONS ON FIRST THREE DEMANDS. LAU ALSO SAID THAT JIANG HAD NOT MENTIONED WHETHER THE QUESTION OF ''THROUGH TRAIN'' HAD BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS. HKMAO DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHEN ZIYING DECLINED TO COMMENT ON WHETHER JIANG'S REMARKS HAD

DISCLOSED THE CONTENTS OF THE TALKS. CHEN SAID THAT JIANG WAS ONLY

REITERATING CHINA'S STAND.

2.

QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES, THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL SAID THAT THE SETTING UP OF THE SARPC PWC DEMONSTRATED CHINA'S DETERMINATION TO RESUME SOVEREIGNTY OVER HK. THE REMARKS BY QIAN QICHEN INDICATED CHINA'S TOUGH STAND AND WERE MEANT TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE BRITISH SIDE. HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT THE CHINESE SIDE GAVE THE PWC SIX MONTHS TO COME UP WITH ITS WORK PLAN SHOWED THAT 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 SINO-BRITISH TALKS HAD ENTERED A CRUCIAL STAGE. BRITISH REACTION TO THE PROPOSALS RAISED BY THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD HAVE A BEARING ON FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS. THE BRITISH SIDE SHOULD NOT THEREFORE RAISE UNREASONABLE REQUESTS RELATING TO THE ''THROUGH TRAIN'' WHICH WOULD POSE OBSTACLES TO THE TALKS.

3.

QUOTING INFORMATION FROM VARIOUS SOURCES, THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS REPORTED THAT THE CHINESE AND BRITISH SIDES WOULD NEED FIVE OR

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