TNAG-2779-FCO40-3998-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-Chinese-reac-1993 — Page 53

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MDLIAN 4841 {

5. A NUMBER OF PAPERS (15.5) CARRIED A REUTER REPORT WHICH QUOTED A CHINESE SOURCE AS SAYING WHILE THE CHINESE POSITION WOULD REMAIN BASICALLY UNCHANGED IN THE COMING THIRD ROUND OF TALKS, THERE WAS STILL MUCH ROOM FOR COMPROMISE ON THE 1995 LEGCO ELECTIONS. FOR INSTANCE, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD ALLOW A WIDER FRANCHISE IN EACH OF THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, BUT THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL, WHICH WAS TANTAMOUNT TO DIRECT ELECTIONS, WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE. AS FOR THE ELECTION COMMITTEE, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE FORMED ACCORDING TO THE BL BUT THE CONSTITUENT CATEGORIES COULD BE HANDLED FLEXIBLY AND WOULD INCLUDE DB MEMBERS. THE REUTER REPORT HINTED THAT THE CHINESE WOULD NOT REACH AN AGREEMENT ON HONG KONG'S CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT BEFORE THE US ANNOUNCED ITS POLICY ON THE RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MFN STATUS. A CHINESE SOURCE TOLD TA KUNG PAO THAT THE PRINCIPLED POSITION OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ON THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE OF THREE VIOLATIONS HAD NOT CHANGED, AND THE REUTER REPORT WAS NOT RELIABLE.

6.

IN A MEETING WITH LORD CALLAGHAN, JIANG ZEMIN WAS REPORTED (18. 5) TO HAVE SAID CHINA HAD ALL ALONG ATTACHED MUCH IMPORTANCE TO SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS. GOOD RELATIONS WERE NOT ONLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF BOTH COUNTRIES, BUT WERE ALSO CONDUCIVE TO WORLD PEACE. MR JIANG SAID THE HONG KONG QUESTION WAS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF SUCH A RELATIONSHIP. HE BELIEVED IF THE CURRENT TALKS WERE CONDUCTED ON THE BASIS OF THE THREE COMPLIANCES, POSITIVE RESULTS COULD BE ACHIEVED.

7. THE MEETING BETWEEN QIAN QICHEN AND A COMMUNITY GROUP FROM HONG KONG WAS NOTED (18. 5). MR QIAN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING CHINA AND BRITAIN HAD REACHED A SERIES OF IMPORTANT AGREEMENTS ON THE HONG KONG QUESTION. MR QIAN SAID THERE WAS NOW ONLY THE QUESTION OF HOW TO SERIOUSLY IMPLEMENT THOSE AGREEMENTS, BUT NOT THE SO- CALLED 'POLITICAL REFORM QUESTION'. AS LONG AS BOTH SIDES WERE SINCERE, ABIDING STRICTLY BY AGREEMENT ON THE BASIS OF THE THREE COMPLIANCES AND MAKING NO UNNECESSARY COMPLICATIONS, THE PROBLEMS SHOULD BE RESOLVED.

8. SOME PAPERS NOTED (18.5) NCNA VICE DIRECTOR ZHANG JUNSHENG REITERATED THE TALKS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED ON THE BASIS OF THE THREE COMPLIANCES. HE SAID THE CHINESE SIDE WAS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC AND HOPED THE TALKS WOULD ACHIEVE RESULTS. ON THE THROUGH TRAIN, ZHANG REPEATED THE NPC DECISION ON THE BL HAD ALREADY MADE CLEAR THE ISSUE.

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