UNCLASSIFIED
012387
MDLIA 6J02
HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT BELIEVED THE CHINESE SIDE STILL HAD THE SINCERITY TO RESUME TALKS. MING PAO QUOTED A PRO-CHINA SOURCE AS INDICATING BOTH SIDES HAD IN PRINCIPLE AGREED TO THE BASIS FOR TALKS. THE BRITISH SIDE AGREED TO USE THE THREE DOCUMENTS: JD, BL AND THE SEVEN DIPLOMATIC LETTERS BETWEEN THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER AND THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY AS THE STARTING POINT. THE CHINESE SIDE ON THAT BASIS WOULD NOT INSIST ON THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE. THE SOURCE INDICATED THAT AT PRESENT THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. FIRSTLY THE CHINESE SIDE HOPED THE BRITISH SIDE COULD GUARANTEE THE AGREEMENT REACHED WOULD BE PASSED BY LEGCO TO AVOID A REPEAT OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL INCIDENT. SECONDLY, THE CHINESE SIDE HOPED THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD NOT SUBMIT THE PROPOSALS TO LEGCO PRIOR TO ANY AGREEMENTS REACHED. THE BRITISH SIDE HAD RESERVATIONS ON BOTH OF THESE PROPOSITIONS. THE HK COMMERCIAL DAILY QUOTED AN ATV REPORT AS SAYING ACCORDING TO CHINESE SOURCES, THE CHINESE SIDE WERE CONCERNED THAT IT WOULD BECOME ANOTHER DIPLOMATIC TRAP IF THEY BEGAN TALKS WITH THE BRITISH SIDE WITHOUT INSISTING ON THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS. THE PAPER SAID ACCORDING TO CHINESE SOURCES THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE CONDITION TO RESPOND WITHIN A GIVEN TIME. IF THE HKG FINALLY DECIDED TO GAZETTE THE BILLS, THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD HAVE TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES.
CPPCC
8.
REPORTS NOTED (20.2) AN ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE NCNA OF THE LIST OF 2,093 DELEGATES TO THE 8TH CPPCC CONGRESS. IT WAS NOTED THERE WOULD BE SEPARATE CATEGORIES FOR HK AND MACAU DELEGATES. THE NUMBER OF HK DELEGATES WOULD BE INCREASED FROM 57 TO 79, AND MACAU DELEGATES FROM 7 TO 19. ON THE HK LIST WERE EXCO MEMBER C H TUNG, LEGISLATORS LAU WONG FAT AND PEGGY LAM, LDF'S CHAIRMAN HU FA KUANG AND VICE CHAIRMAN MARIA TAM, DAB'S TSANG YUK SING, AND BUSINESSMAN TSUI TSIN TONG.
9.
REPORTS NOTED (23.2) CPPCC DELEGATE LAU NAI KEUNG SAID THE CPPCC WAS CONSIDERING SETTING UP AN OFFICE IN HK SHORTLY. MR LAU CONSIDERED THIS WOULD ASSIST HK DELEGATES TO STRENGTHEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF CHINESE POLICIES AND AT THE SAME TIME FACILITATE THEIR LIAISON WITH HK PEOPLE AND ENHANCE THEIR ROLE OF ACTING AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN HK AND CHINA.
LEGCO
10. THE ELECTION OF JOHN SWAINE AS LEGCO PRESIDENT AND ELSIE TU AS HIS DEPUTY WAS REPORTED IN GOOD COVERAGE (20.2). IT WAS NOTED
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