TNAG-2780-FCO40-3999-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-Chinese-reac-1993 — Page 71

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WOULD CONCENTRATE ON SINCERITY.

5.

AFTER THE MEETING, SIR ROBIN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE TALKS WAS 'PERFECTLY NORMAL, ADDING THAT HE DID NOT DETECT ANY TENSION IN THE FIRST DAY OF MEETING. HE DECLINED TO COMMENT ON WHETHER THE SEVEN DIPLOMATIC LETTERS CONSTITUTED AN AGREEMENT.

6. ON PROGRESS OF THE TALKS, THE EXPRESS TODAY QUOTED SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE TWO SIDES HAD REACHED AN. UNDERSTANDING THAT THE 1995 ELECTIONS AND THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS WOULD BE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DIPLOMATIC EXCHANGES. QUOTING CHINESE SOURCES, SING TAO DAILY ALSO, REPORTED TODAY THAT THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES WOULD BE FORMED ON THE SAME BASIS AS EXISTING FCS. THE TWO SIDES ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO DISCUSS WAYS TO CHOOSE THE NINE NEW FCS AT THIS ROUND. BUT GIVEN THE COMPLICATIONS CAUSED BY THE BRITISH SIDE BEFORE THE TALKS, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT WHETHER THE TWO SIDES COULD SETTLE THE FCS AT THIS ROUND. THE REPORT ADDED THAT NO PROGRESS WAS MADE ON THE QUESTION OF THE THROUGH TRAIN. THE PAPER ALSO QUOTED A RTHK REPORT AS SAYING THAT THERE WAS STILL A WIDE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES ON ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS, PARTICULARLY OVER THE FORMATION OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE AND WHETHER APPOINTED SEATS IN THE DBS SHOULD BE RETAINED.

7. THE CHINA NEWS AGENCY DISPATCHED A REPORT TODAY TITLED 'TALKS WILL ACHIEVE RESULT ONLY IF DIPLOMATIC AGREEMENTS ARE ADHERED TO'. IT SAID THAT THE THREE PETTY TRICKS AND EDWARD CHEN'S PROPOSAL OF FLEXIBLE TREATMENT ON THE NUMBER OF OVERSEAS CFA JUDGES ALL DEMONSTRATED A LACK OF SINCERITY AND TRUST-WORTHINESS ON THE PART OF THE BRITISH SIDE. IF DIPLOMATIC AGREEMENTS COULD BE TREATED FLEXIBLY OR EVEN REOPENED FOR AMENDMENTS, THEN THE ON-GOING TALKS WOULD BE A WASTE OF TIME. THE ARTICLE CONCLUDED BY ECHOING LU PING'S EARLIER REMARKS THAT NO MATTER WHETHER THE TALKS WERE SUCCESSFUL, THE CHINESE SIDE WERE CONFIDENT ABOUT THEIR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN HK'S CONTINUED STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.

8. ORIENTAL DAILY REPORTED TODAY THAT AS EARLY AS APRIL, CHINESE DIPLOMATIC SOURCES IN LONDON HAVE TOLD EXPERTS ON CHINA THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS PREPARED TO REACH A COMPREHENSIVE AND LONG- TERM AGREEMENT WITH BRITAIN COVERING NOT ONLY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS, BUT ALSO ISSUES RELATING TO HK'S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ADMINISTRATION BETWEEN NOW AND 1997. CHINESE SOURCES STRESSED THAT TO REACH SUCH AN AGREEMENT, BOTH SIDES SHOULD BE

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