TNAG-2771-FCO40-3988-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 102

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172272

MDLIAN 2569

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FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 1362

OF 23030OZ AUGUST 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:

HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: 14.8-21.8.

11.

QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES, THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL (18.8) SAID THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT RESPONDED TO THE COUNTER- PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD BY THE BRITISH SIDE. THE CHINESE SIDE FELT THE NEW PROPOSALS FOR THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES OF ONE MILLION VOTERS CONTRAVENED THE PRINCIPLE OF RETURNING FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY LEGISLATORS THROUGH INDIRECT ELECTIONS. AS THE TWO SIDES STILL HAD WIDE DIFFERENCES, THE CHINESE EXPECTED THAT AN AGREEMENT COULD NOT BE REACHED BEFORE OCTOBER. NEVERTHELESS, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD STRIVE TO REACH SOME CONSENSUS ON THE ELECTION

COMMITTEE AND FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS BEFORE THE

MINISTERIAL MEETING.

12.

SING TAO DAILY (18.8) QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING IN THE NINTH ROUND THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT RAISED ANY OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE THROUGH TRAIN. THE UNITED DAILY NEWS QUOTED SOURCES AS SAYING THE BRITISH SIDE HAD RAISED COUNTER-PROPOSALS ON THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS AND THE ELECTION COMMITTEE. THESE WERE DIFFERENT FROM THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE, BUT WERE STILL NOT ACCEPTED BY THE CHINESE SIDE. THEREFORE NO PROGRESS WAS MADE.

13. ACCORDING TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES (19.8), THE CHINESE SIDE WERE MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT REACHING AN AGREEMENT. SOURCES SAID DIFFERENCES WERE NARROWING ON THE ELECITON COMMITTEE AND FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS ISSUES. ON THE THROUGH TRAIN, THE CHINESE SIDE'S INTERNAL VIEW WAS THAT A POSSIBLE WAY WOULD BE TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO THE BRITISH SIDE THAT THE SARPC PWC WOULD DRAW UP A SET OF CRITERIA WHICH WOULD BE SCRUTINISED AND APPROVED BY THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE. IN A SIMILAR REPORT, MING PAO NOTED THE BRITISH SIDE WERE AGAINST THIS AS IT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ENSURE THE SET OF CRITERIA TO BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE

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