TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 7

UNCLASSIFIED

137705

MDLIAN

7

CONFORMITIES

LOCALISATION

10. EXTENSIVE COVERAGE WAS ACCORDED TO A GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT THAT EXPATRIATE CIVIL SERVANTS WHO WERE HK PERMANENT RESIDENTS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO RENEW THEIR CONTRACT UNDER LOCAL TERMS. THIS WOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE EFFECT AND THE GOVERNMENT ESTIMATED ABOUT 200 PEOPLE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR TRANSFER TO LOCAL TERMS. SOME PAPERS NOTED THE GOVERNMENT ACTION PRE-EMPTED A LEGAL BATTLE OVER THE POLICY OF REPLACING EXPATRIATES WITH LOCAL STAFF BEFORE 1997. WHILE THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT BEEN CONSULTED FORMALLY ON THIS, IT HAD BEEN INFORMED THROUGH UNOFFICIAL CHANNELS AND HAD GIVEN NO RESPONSE. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE, ANSON CHAN, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THE DECISION WOULD NOT AFFECT THE LOCALISATION POLICY. SHE SAID THIS WAS ONLY A SHORT-TERM MEASURE AND ANY LONG- TERM POLICY WOULD HAVE TO BE DISCUSSED WITH THE LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE GROUPS AND THE CHINESE SIDE.

11.

NCNA HK VICE DIRECTOR ZHENG GUOXIONG WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (31.7) THE CHINESE SIDE WERE AWARE OF THE STRONG REACTIONS BY VARIOUS CIVIL SERVICE GROUPS. MR ZHENG SAID THE EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS HAD BEEN SPELT OUT IN THE JD AND THE BL. THE CHINESE SIDE WERE OF THE VIEW THERE SHOULD NOT BE DRASTIC CHANGES IN THE TRANSITION AND THE CHINESE SIDE SHOULD BE CONSULTED

ON ANY IMPORTANT CHANGES.

FORD

YYYY

MAIN

.HK POLICY

HKD

PUSD

FED

58

DISTRIBUTION

66

NTCD

PLANNERS

RAD

PS

LEGAL ADVISERS//MS BARRETT

LEGAL ADVISERS//MISS BROOKS

NEWS D

PS/MR GOODLAD

SIR J COLES

MR HUM

PAGE

4

UNCLASSIFIED