UNCLASSIFIED
012367 MDLIAN 6502
BOTH WERE RETURNED UNCONTESTED.
REPORTED REMARKS BY CHINESE LEADERS
11. AN ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF TREND MAGAZINE QUOTED REFORMIST SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH ZHONGNAIHAI AS SAYING THE PEKING AUTHORITIES FEARED THAT THEY COULD NOT EFFECTIVELY CONTROL HK AFTER 1997 AND THUS WERE SO ANGRY OVER THE HK ISSUE. IT SAID JIANG ZEMIN BELONGED TO THE 'HAWKS'. IN HIS REMARKS IN EARLY JANUARY TO PARTY AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, JIANG WAS QUOTED AS SAYING GIVEN THE PRESENT SITUATION IN HK, THE DISPUTE COULD NOT BE AVOIDED. IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT CHAOS WOULD HAPPEN IN HK IN THE SHORT TERM. BRITAIN HAD TO RETURN TO THE TRACK OF THE 'THREE COMPLIANCES', BEFORE 'THE RAIN WOULD STOP AND THE SKY TURN BLUE' IN SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS. JIANG SAID TO MAINTAIN NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND RESPECT, IT WOULD BE REASONABLE TO MAKE SACRIFICES AND LOSSES. THIS WOULD HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE. THE SOURCES INDICATED JIANG SEEMED TO HAVE SHOWN HIS BOTTOM LINE, WHICH WAS, FOR POLITICAL GAINS, ECONOMIC SACRIFICES COULD BE MADE INCLUDING THOSE OF HK PEOPLE AND CHINA-FUNDED ORGANISATIONS IN HK. ANOTHER 'HAWK' LU PING AT A MEETING WITH NPC AND CPPCC DELEGATES IN PEKING IN JANUARY, SAID A STORM WAS COMING AND CHINA WOULD NEED TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR THE WORST CASE SCENARIO. MR LU SAID SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS HAD REACHED A STAGE OF MUTUAL DISTRUST. IT WAS HIGHLY POSSIBLE THAT THERE WOULD BE CHAOS IN HK FOR A WHILE. PREVENTIVE MEASURES HAD BEEN
MADE IN THE EVENT OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC UNREST.
12.
THE ARTICLE OBSERVED CHINA IN ITS FOREIGN POLICY APPLIED DIFFERENT STANDARDS TO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES IN ACCORDANCE TO ITS OWN INTERESTS. CHINA WAS TOUGH WITH BRITAIN BECAUSE BRITAIN HAD VERY FEW CARDS IN ITS HAND AND IT WAS WILLING TO MAKE COMPROMISES WITH THE U S. AN ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF CONTEMPORARY MAGAZINE MADE SIMILAR OBSERVATIONS. QUOTING AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES THE ARTICLE SAID DENG XIAOPING AT A MEETING WITH THE FULL POLITBUREAU AFTER THE 14TH PARTY CONGRESS TALKED ABOUT DIFFERENT STRATEGIES SHOULD BE ADOPTED TOWARDS THE U.S., FRANCE AND U K. BRITAIN AND MR PATTEN HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE 'WEAK LINK' IN THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT AGAINST CHINA TO BE ACCORDED TOUGH
TREATMENT.
SURVEYS
HK ECONOMIC TIMES (22.2) CONDUCTED A SURVEY COVERING 829 RESPONDENTS WHICH SHOWED CLOSE TO 70 PER CENT SAID A SOLUTION TO THE DISPUTE SHOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH CHINA AND BRITAIN.
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THE
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