TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 58

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NEWSPAPER, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT HE HOPED THE UK WOULD STRENGTHEN CO-OPERATION WITH CHINA ON THE BASIS OF THE JD AND TO ENSURE HK'S PEACEFUL TRANSITION. HE SAID THAT CHINA WANTED AN EARLY AGREEMENT TO BE REACHED AT THE POLITICAL TALKS BUT ADDED THAT IT WAS NOT ENTIRELY UP TO THE CHINESE. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD OBSERVE THE JD AND THE BL TO REALISE HK'S TRANSITION IN 1997. IN ANOTHER INTERVIEW WITH THE WINDOW MAGAZINE, JIANG SAID THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD TO RETURN TO THE TRACK OF OBSERVING THE JD, THE BL AND PAST AGREEMENTS REACHED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES TO RESUME SINO-

BRITISH CO-OPERATION.

10. THE PAPERS ALSO PROMINENTLY REPORTED S OF S'S MEETING WITH EXCO AND LEGCO MEMBERS. THE PAPERS QUOTED MEMBERS AS SAYING AFTER

THE EXCO MEETING THAT S OF S HAD RAISED THREE IMPORTANT ISSUES WITH THE CHINESE SIDE DURING THE VISIT: POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, THE NEW AIRPORT AND THE WORK OF THE JLG. SOME PAPERS HIGHLIGHTED S OF S'S REMARKS THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD NO INTENTION TO INTERFERING WITH

CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS. LEGISLATORS QUOTED S OF SAS SAYING

THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD MADE A COUNTER-PROPOSAL ON POLITICAL REFORMS AT THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH ROUNDS OF TALKS BUT THERE WERE

STILL GREAT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. S OF S ALSO SAID

THAT THE CHINESE SIDE APPEARED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE URGENCY OF THE TALKS.

11. REACTIONS TO OUTCOME OF S OF S'S VISIT WERE GENERALLY POSITIVE. HK AFFAIRS ADVISER CHENG YIU-TONG SAID BOTH SIDES WERE SINCERE ABOUT SPEEDING UP THE TALKS. TAM YIU-CHUNG OF DAB DESCRIBED THE VISIT AS A SUCCESS.

12. COMMENTARIES IN THE LOCAL PRESS WERE ALSO ENCOURAGED BY THE

OUTCOME OF S OF S'S VISIT. ORIENTAL DAILY SAID THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT OF THE VISIT WAS THAT S OF S HAD SUCCESSFULLY CLEARED THE OBSTACLES FOR SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION. BOTH SIDES

HAD SHOWN SINCERITY BY DEMONSTRATING PRAGMATISM AND A WILLINGNESS TO COMPROMISE. THE LEFT-WING TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO HOWEVER

STILL ADVOCATED A HARD-LINE STANCE ON THE THROUGH TRAIN. THE COMMERCIAL DAILY PICKED ON THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS THAT HK COULD GO IT ALONE, SAYING THAT HE HAD NO SINCERITY FOR SINO-BRITISH CO- OPERATION.

LU PING

13. LU PING WAS QUOTED AS DELEGATION THAT HE DID NOT OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE

TELLING THE VISITING HEUNG YEE KUK RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF FORMULATING THROUGH TRAIN BEFORE 1995 BUT THIS WOULD

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