TNAG-2771-FCO40-3988-Coverage-of-Sino-British-talks-in-the-Hong-Kong-press-1993 — Page 45

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INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG ONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON HKGO NEW YORK

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INFO HKGO SAN FRANCISCO, HKGO GENEVA

HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: (18.10-22.10)

SUMMARY

1. THE 14TH ROUND OF SINO-BRITISH TALKS WAS FEATURED. MOST REPORTS NOTED THERE WAS STILL A SIGNIFICANT GAP BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES.

SINO-BRITISH TALKS

2. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES (18.10) SAID THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD AGAIN ASK FOR AN AGREEMENT TO BE REACHED FIRST ON NEXT YEAR'S DB POLLS AT THE 14THE ROUND OF TALKS. HOWEVER, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD STILL INSIST IT WOULD NOT DISCUSS OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE THROUGH TRAIN BEFORE THERE WAS AGREEMENT ON THE 1994/95 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS. THE SOURCES SAID THE CHINESE SIDE DID NOT OBJECT IN PRINCIPLE TO LOWERING THE VOTING AGE TO 18. THEY ALSO AGREED THAT APPOINTED DB AND MUNICIPAL COUNCIL SEATS SHOULD BE REDUCED GRADUALLY, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE AGAINST SCRAPPING THEM ALL NOW. ON THE ELECTION METHOD, THE CHINESE SIDE HAD RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE "SINGLE SEAT" SYSTEM BUT THE ISSUE WAS STILL OPEN TO DISCUSSIONS. ACCORDING TO SING TAO DAILY, THE CHINESE SIDE WERE READY TO DISCUSS OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE THROUGH TRAIN AT THE RIGHT TIME. BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO SEE WHETHER THE BRITISH SIDE WERE COOPERATIVE OVER THE 194/95 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS.

3. NCNA HK'S ZHANG JUNSHENG ALLEGED THE GOVERNOR WAS AGAIN POSING OBSTACLES TO THE TALKS IN PROPOSING CONDITIONS FOR SEPARATING THE TALKS ON THE 1994 AND 1995 ELECTIONS.

4. CHEN ZHO'ER OF THE HKMAO TOLD REPORTERS (18.100 IN SHENZHEN CHINA WOULD CONSIDER POLITICAL ECONOMIC MATTERS SEPARATELY. HOWEVER, IN ANOTHER REPORT (19.100 CHEN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING IF HK WAS TO IMPLEMENT THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE, THE SITUATION WOULD BECOME CHAOTIC. CHEN SAID IF THE BRITISH SIDE DID NOT CO-OPERATE ON THE

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