TNAG-2804-FCO40-4044-National-People-s-Congress-and-Chinese-People-s-Political-Co-1993 — Page 12

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HKC 024/1

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MDLIAN 4318

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

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CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: NPC :

NPC: PRESS REACTION

LI PENG'S PRESS CONFERENCE

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TODAY'S PAPERS GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE TO LI PENG'S PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY. MOST PAPERS HIGHLIGHTED THAT SINO-BRITISH ECONOMIC RELATIONS WOULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED IF THE POLITICAL ROW DETERIORATED AND THAT LI HAD URGED THE BRITISH SIDE TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND RETURN TO THE PATH OF THE THREE COMPLIANCES. TA KUNG PAO PLAYED UP THE POINT THAT THE CHINESE HAD NOT CLOSED THE DOOR OF TALKS. HONG KONG STANDARD HEADLINED ITS REPORT BY SAYING LI HAD SOFTENED HIS STANCE ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE.

2.

A FEW PAPERS NOTED LI'S INDICATION THAT CHINA HAD NOT CLOSED THE DOOR OF TALKS AND THAT THE BALL WAS NOW IN BRITAIN'S COURT. SING TAO DAILY WAS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC THAT THE ROW COULD BE RESOLVED RATIONALLY. ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS SAID IT WAS HIGH TIME BRITAIN TAKE STOCK OF THE SITUATION AND WHETHER THINGS COULD TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER WOULD HINGE ON HOW BRITAIN ASSESS CHINA'S DETERMINATION TO SET UP ANOTHER STOVE. WAH KIU YAT PO SAID THAT THE CURRENT DEADLOCK COULD BE BROKEN IF THE CHINESE SAW THE HONG KONG QUESTION WITH A MORE OPEN MIND. HK ECONOMIC TIMES SAID THAT THE TIMING FOR INTRODUCTION OF THE BILL INTO LEGCO WOULD BE CRUCIAL TO WHETHER TALKS COULD BE RE-OPENED. ONCE EXCO DECIDED ON A SPECIFIC DATE OF INTRODUCTION, THE CHANCE FOR TALKS WOULD BE MINIMAL.

3. IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT, NCNA VICE DIRECTOR QIN WENJUN WAS QUOTED BY WAH KIU YAT PO AS SAYING THAT WHILE LI'S REMARKS MIGHT APPEAR MODERATE, HIS STANCE REMAINED FIRM AND UNCHANGED.

JIANG ZEMIN

4. THE PRESS GAVE GOOD COVERAGE TO REMARKS MADE BY JIANG ZEMIN IN CLOSING THE NPC. REPORTS NOTED THAT JIANG PLEDGED THAT CHINA WOULD STRICTLY ABIDE BY THE BASIC LAW AND WOULD WORK HARD TO ACHIEVE SMOOTH TRANSITION AND MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.

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