TNAG-2780-FCO40-3999-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-Chinese-reac-1993 — Page 56

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MDHIAN 5650

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FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 849

OF 210805Z JUNE 93

RECENFE

ISTRY

1993

DESK INDEX

rÀ

REGISTRY Action Taken

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

TOP COPY

Q DIST? per.

NPC STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING: HONG KONG: PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN

1.

PEOPLE'S DAILY (20 JUNE) AND CHINA DAILY (21 JUNE) BOTH CARRY

FRONT PAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE AGENDA FOR THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING DUE TO TAKE PLACE FROM 22 JUNE TO 2 JULY INCLUSIVE. AMONG THE OTHER SUBJECTS, THE STANDING COMMITTEE WILL DISCUSS THE DRAFT DECISION OF THE NPC TO ESTABLISH A PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN TO THE HKSAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE.

2.

THE CHINA DAILY REPORT ALSO CARRIES COMMENTS BY THE NPC

SPOKESMAN, ZHOU CHENGKUI. ZHOU SAID THAT THE STANDING COMMITTEE WOULD ''CONSIDER A PROPOSAL TO SET UP A SPECIAL GROUP TO HELP IN PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS FOR THE TRANSFER OF POWER IN HONG KONG. THIS GROUP WOULD, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, BE KNOWN AS THE ''PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE HKSAR'' SINCE THERE WERE ONLY FOUR YEARS TO GO BEFORE 1997, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THIS PREPARATORY WORK ORGAN WAS BOTH ''TIMELY AND OF GREAT NECESSITY''. THE REPORT ALSO COMMENTS THAT THE BL PROVIDES FOR A PREPARATORY COMMITTEE TO

BE SET UP BEFORE 1996 TO OVERSEE THE TERRITORY'S HANDOVER AND QUOTES ZHOU AS SAYING THAT DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE PREPARATORY

COMMITTEE SHOULD NOT BE PERCEIVED AS A NEGATIVE SIGNAL FOR THE CURRENT TALKS. NPC DEPUTIES FROM HONG KONG WOULD NOT BE ATTENDING THE STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT THEY AND PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE IN HONG KONG HAD BEEN FREQUENTLY CONSULTED.

3. THE CHINA DAILY ADDED THAT AN SCMP POLL SHOWED THAT 71 PER

CENT OF HONG KONG PEOPLE SAID THE TALKS SHOULD CONTINUE REGARDLESS, WITH 20 PER CENT FAVOURING BREAKING THEM OFF. THE CHINA DAILY ALSO LINKED THAT POLL TO THE GOVERNOR'S RETURN TO LONDON FOR ''TOP LEVEL TALKS WITH BRITISH PRIME MINISTER JOHN MAJOR ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD FROM HERE.''

COMMENT

4.

THE APPARENT CONFUSION OVER THE NAME AND LIKELY FUNCTIONS OF THE WORK ORGAN PROBABLY REFLECTS NO MORE THAN CONFUSION AT THE

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