TNAG-2781-FCO40-4000-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-Chinese-reac-1993 — Page 83

2.9.93

Zhang Junsheng

9.9.93

Tsui Tong in HK Commercial Daily

10.9.93

Chinese Foreign

Ministry

spokesman Wu

Jianmin

CONFIDENTIAL

- ف .

9-

The British side is creating a new problem over civil servants' participation in political activities while the talks are still going on, causing "a new upheaval before the previous one has subsided".

The Government's various proposals to change the civil service system would make it impossible for the SAR Chief Executive to keep civil servants under control.

Senior civil servants and pro-British politicians would be the ones running HK

after 1997.

China opposes any major changes to the civil service system.

10.9.93

10.9.93

HK Affairs

Adviser Dr Zee Sze-yong in Wen

Wei Po

Chinese sources quoted by Ming

Pao

11.9.93

Lu Ping

11.9.93

HK Commercial Daily editorial

It is important to maintain the stability of the civil service. Allowing civil servants to join political groups and to provide a new functional constituency for them will be undesirable for the interests

of the civil service and its stability.

The proposed functional constituency is not in line with the definition of functional constituency per se because unlike other

constituencies, it is difficult to define

the rights and privileges of civil servants. The Chinese side is not prepared to give way because the change will

seriously damage the neutrality of the

civil service.

The Chinese side hopes that the civil service system would remain unchanged.

The Chinese side should be consulted of any changes to HK's political, social and economic systems after the signing of the

JD on December 19, 1984. The Governor cannot shrug off his responsibility by referring to the Government's internal guidelines in 1990 which allowed civil servants to join political groups.

CONFIDENTIAL