TNAG-2770-FCO40-3987-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 76

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053532

MDLIAN 4817.

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FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1137

OF 13080OZ JULY 93

INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA

PART TWO OF TWO PARTS

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HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: (7.7 13.7)

LU PING

17. LUPING WAS QUOTED (10.7) AS TELLING THE VISITING HEUNG YEE

KUK DELEGATION HE DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF FORMULATING OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE THROUGH TRAIN BEFORE 1995 BUT THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE DECIDED BY THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE. HE EXPLAINED LEGISLATORS ELECTED IN 1995 HAD TO SATISFY THE OBJECTIVE STANDARDS SET DOWN IN THE BL REGARDING AGE, PLACE OF RESIDENCE, WHETHER THEY WERE FOREIGN PASSPORT HOLDERS, AND HAD BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. MR LU WAS QUOTED AS SAYING TAKING AN OATH WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO SHOW ALLEGIANCE TO THE HKSAR. THE MAJOR PROBLEM WAS WITH 'UPHOLDING THE BL WHICH SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY OBJECTIVE CRITERIA TO BE SET BY THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. MR LU

WAS ALSO QUOTED AS SAYING THAT IT WOULD BE THE BIGGEST TRAGEDY IF HK BECAME A POLITICAL CITY.

JIANG ZEMIN

18.

JIANG ZEMIN IN AN INTERVIEW WITH A MEXICAN NEWSPAPER WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (10.7) HE HOPED THE UK WOULD STRENGTHEN COOPERATION WITH CHINA ON THE BASIS OF THE JD AND TO ENSURE HK'S PEACEFUL TRANSITION. HE SAID CHINA WANTED AN EARLY AGREEMENT TO BE REACHED AT THE POLITICAL TALKS BUT ADDED IT WAS NOT ENTIRELY UP TO THE CHINESE. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD OBSERVE THE JD AND BL TO REALISE HK'S TRANSITION IN 1997. IN ANOTHER INTERVIEW WITH THE WINDOW MAGAZINE, MR JIANG SAID 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 BRITISH COOPERATION.

AIRPORT

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