CONFIDENTIAL
Chinese Comments on Issues Related to the Sino-British Talks
(May 8 - May 18, 1993)
Introduction
Governor Chris Patten's description of HK as an international asset during his US visit has invited further attacks from the Chinese side, who sees the remark as part of his attempt to internationalise the HK question. China's latest position is while it is right for HK to maintain its status in world trade and finance, it will do the territory no good if it should become an arena where various political forces come into play. HKMAO Director Lu Ping has even come up with a warning that this will spell disaster for HK people. China's reaction to Lady Thatcher's support of Mr Patten and her defence that the Governor is not internationalising the HK issue has been surprisingly mild.
While the row over the status of HK officials in the talks is
apparently over, China is still firmly opposed to the idea of HK being treated as an independent political entity. The "three-legged stool" theory which the Governor put forward in the US has attracted much criticism from the left-wing papers backed by Yuan Pengyan of NCNA, HK. They accused the Governor of challenging China's sovereignty and posing obstacles to the Sino-British talks. Some columnists have gone as far as arguing that the "three-legged stool" is an invitation to foreign
intervention.
The Chinese side has remained adamant in its opposition to the Governor's reform package. Chinese officials and sources in reaction to Mr Patten's US trip and to a Reuter report claiming that the Chinese side is willing to adopt a flexible attitude towards the 1994/95 election arrangements, have repeated this stand time and again. The Reuter report has been promptly denied by an unnamed Chinese official and a commentator has seen this a bid to pressurise Peking to give way in the talks. The importance of abiding by the "three conformities" in the talks has been stressed by Chinese leaders Jiang Zemin and Qian Qichen to visitors on the eve of the third round of talks.
On the "through train" issue, China maintains its stance that the criteria for riding the "through train" have been laid down in the BL..
The Governor has come under fire for saying in the US that the criteria as stipulated in the BL are not "objective". It is noteworthy that in criticising Mr Patten's words and deeds in the US, NCNA officials had specifically identified Mr Patten as their target while HKMAO officials had not.
CONFIDENTIAL
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