7.9.93
Peking sources quoted by The Standard
8.9.93
Lu Ping quoted by members of a visiting LDF delegation to Peking
8.9.93
Lee Wai-cheung in Wen Wei Po
CONFIDENTIAL
- 18
The "compromises" offered by the British side are worse than the Patten package and will totally damage the post-1997 administration if adopted. Peking is concerned that HK will lose its attraction to investors if the SAR Government is unable to administer the territory effectively after the transition.
It cannot be said that there has been no progress at all at the 10 rounds of talks. The two sides have stated their stands. The Chinese side's stand is the "three
conformities" and the talks cannot be held
on the basis of Mr Patten's "three violations" package. There are some substantial differences between the two sides over the functional constituency elections, the through train, the abolition of appointed DB seats in 1995, and the "single seat, single vote" system, which will reduce the representativeness of elected members with the formation of smaller constituencies. An agreement may not be reached if the British side continues its tactic of holding the talks on one hand, and making false starts on the other. The Chinese side is sincere about the talks and hopes to see the smooth transition of the 1995 legislature. I do not want to see that because it cannot converge with the BL, another election has to be held in 1997 to return the first SAR legislature.
Noting that its insistence on the urgency of the talks has failed to pressurise China into accepting its unreasonable demands, the British side has resorted to branching off to side issues to complicate the talks in a bid to drag it on. Then after some time, Governor Chris Patten will have the pretext to go it alone on his reform package while blaming the Chinese side for delaying and eventually causing a breakdown of the talks. This has been the British side's strategy right from the start.
CONFIDENTIAL
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