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4. ZHU THEN MADE AN ELLIPTICAL REMARK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF HONG KONG BEING 'LESS PEACEFUL' EVEN BEFORE 1997, 'BECAUSE MR CHRIS PATTEN IS VERY ACTIVE'. AT THIS POINT, BOLGER INVITED ZHU TO SET OUT THE CHINESE PERSPECTIVE ON HONG KONG. ZHU IN TURN GAVE THE FLOOR TO VICE-MINISTER LIU HUAQIU, WHO SAID THE PAST TWO ROUNDS OF DISCUSSIONS HAD INCREASED MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CHINA AND
BRITAIN, ADDING THAT 'THE BRITISH UNDERSTAND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS MUST BE BASED ON THREE POINTS'. THESE WERE:
A>
B)
EXISTING AGREEMENTS:
RECOGNITION THAT THE HONG KONG QUESTION WAS NOT WHETHER THERE WAS DEMOCRACY OR NOT BUT WHETHER TO ABIDE BY AGREEMENTS ENTERED
INTO BY BRITAIN AND CHINA AND:
C)
THE NEXT ELECTIONS TO THE HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD
BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT MEETING. THE TWO SIDES HAD EXPRESSED READINESS 'TO REDUCE THEIR DIFFERENCES AND ENLARGE COMMON GROUND', WITH THE AIM OF ENSURING A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997.
6.
BOLGER THEN SPOKE AT SOME LENGTH (DRAWING ON THE MATERIAL PROVIDED IN REFTEL) EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANCE WHICH NEW ZEALAND
ATTACHED TO HONG KONG REMAINING STABLE BOTH BETWEEN NOW AND 1997
AND AFTER 1997. NEW ZEALAND HAD MANY BILATERAL INTERESTS AT STAKE:
BUT HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY WAS ALSO IMPORTANT FOR THE
WIDER ASIA-PACIFIC REGION.
7.
=
THERE THEN FOLLOWED SOME DISCUSSION OF US POLICY TOWARDS CHINA.
AS THE MEETING ENDED (WITH NOTEBOOKS ALREADY PUT AWAY) ZHU MADE A
FINAL REMARK ABOUT THE SINO-US TALKS GOING QUITE WELL AND HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. PRESIDENT CLINTON WAS NEW TO THE JOB BUT THERE HAD BEEN 'NO NEW REVELATIONS' HOWEVER, AS FAR AS THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS WERE CONCERNED: 'MAJOR AND PATTEN ARE ONE
PERSON, SO IT IS DIFFICULT TO SEE CHANGE COMING QUICKLY'. IN DISCUSSING THIS FINAL REMARK AMONGST THEMSELVES, THE NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION THOUGHT THAT ZHU'S INTENTION HAD BEEN TO PUT DOWN A
MARKER THAT THE RELATIVELY RELAXED AND OPTIMISTIC TONE OF LIU'S
EXPOSITION MIGHT NEED SOME SHADE ADDED TO
IT.
8.
AT THE OFFICIAL DINNER THAT EVENING, ELDER PUT THIS INTERPRETATION TO ZHOU WENZHONG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF AMERICAS DIVISION IN THE MFA. ZHOU WAS CATEGORIC THAT THIS INTERPRETATION
WAS WRONG. THE HONG KONG TALKS WERE GOING WELL. THE TWO ROUNDS SO
FAR HAD BEEN POSITIVE AND PROGRESS WAS EXPECTED AT THE THIRD
2
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