TNAG-2779-FCO40-3998-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-Chinese-reac-1993 — Page 146

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CONCERNED THEM ALL. HE REITERATED THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TOWARD HONG KONG WOULD NOT CHANGE. THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO HONOUR THE JD, THE BL AND THE UNDERSTANDINGS AND AGREEMENTS ALREADY REACHED WITH THE BRITISH SIDE ABOUT HONG KONG'S TRANSITION PERIOD. THEY HAD ONLY ONE OBJECTIVE, TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION, A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF POWER AND TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S LONG TERM PROSPERITY AND STABILITY. THE CURRENT PROBLEM WAS THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD CLOSED THE DOOR TO NEGOTIATION. CHANGING THE CURRENT SITUATION DEPENDED ON THE BRITISH SIDE'S ATTITUDE. THE CHINESE SIDE HAD MADE CLEAR MANY TIMES THAT THEY WANTED COOPERATION, NOT CONFRONTATION.

4.

PEOPLE'S DAILY (3 APRIL) ALSO REPORTS SPEECHES MADE BY LU PING AND ZHOU NAN AT A CEREMONY AT WHICH THE NEW ADVISERS WERE GIVEN CERTIFICATES OF APPOINTMENT. LU PING SAID THAT THE FIRST GROUP OF ADVISERS HAD PROVIDED MUCH ADVICE AND MANY USEFUL IDEAS DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF THEIR APPOINTMENT. WITH THE ADDITION OF THE NEW GROUP THERE WERE NOW 92 ADVISERS: THIS GREATLY INCREASED THE ''REPRESENTATIVENESS' OF THE ADVISERS. RECENTLY MR PATTEN HAD SUDDENLY GAZETTED HIS CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS DISREGARDING WIDER SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS AND THE INTERESTS OF SEVERAL MILLION HONG KONG COMPATRIOTS, WHILE CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS ABOUT TALKS WERE STILL UNDERWAY. THIS SHOWED THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WERE NOT SINCERE ABOUT HOLDING TALKS: INDEED IT HAD DELIBERATELY UNDERMINED THEM. IT WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHINESE AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS TO BRING ABOUT A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT ON THE BASIS OF THE JD, THE PRINCIPLE OF CONVERGENCE WITH THE BASIC LAW AND EXISTING SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS. CHINA WANTED COOPERATION NOT CONFRONTATION. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED, CHINA WOULD STEADFASTLY IMPLEMENT THE POLICY OF ''ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS'', IMPLEMENT THE BL IN FULL, BRING ABOUT A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S LONG TERM SOCIAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.

5. LU PING ALSO SAID THAT BY PROPOSING THAT HKG OFFICIALS PARTICIPATE IN TALKS AS ''ADVISERS OR EXPERTS'' THE CHINESE SIDE WAS NOT TRYING TO LOWER THEIR POSITION. HKMO AND NCNA OFFICIALS ON THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD ALSO BE ''ADVISERS AND EXPERTS''. THIS HAD SIMPLY BEEN AN EXCUSE FOR THE BRITISH SIDE TO BREAK OFF TALKS. IF THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS WERE INTRODUCED INTO LEGCO FOR DISCUSSION, THIS WOULD NOT ONLY BE CLOSING THE DOOR TO DISCUSSIONS, BUT WOULD ALSO BE THROWING THE KEY INTO THE SEA: PATTEN SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY ILLUSIONS ABOUT (THE POSSIBILITY OF) HOLDING NEGOTIATIONS WITH CHINA AFTER PASSING HIS PROPOSALS TO LEGCO. ON THE AIRPORT, LU