TNAG-2990-FCO40-3574-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-talks-betwee-1992 — Page 13

pw.R Chuni angle

001572 MDHIAN 5393

UNCLASSIFIED

Hillis azıl низ

UNCLASSIFIED

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1509

OF 29092OZ OCTOBER 92

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG

OUR TELNO 150 TO HONG KONG: ELECTION COMMITTEE: PUBLICATION OF MINISTERIAL EXCHANGES: COVERAGE IN LOCAL CHINESE PRESS

1.

PEOPLE'S DAILY AND CHINA DAILY OF 29 OCTOBER BOTH CARRY THE TEXTS OF THE SEVEN DOCUMENTS RELEASED ON 28 OCTOBER. THE CHINESE HAVE NOT YET COME UP WITH ANY COMMENT. THERE ARE TWO PARAGRAPHS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF PEOPLE'S DAILY UNDER THE HEADLINE CHINA AND BRITAIN PUBLISH 7 DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG.'' OUR TRANSLATION OF THESE TWO PARAGRAPHS, WHICH APPEAR IN REVERSE ORDER IN THE CHINA DAILY, IS AS FOLLOWS:

''IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS PART OF HIS ADDRESS TO LEGCO ON 7 OCTOBER, HONG KONG GOVERNOR PATTEN UNILATERALLY MADE MAJOR CHANGES TO HONG KONG'S EXISTING POLITICAL SYSTEM. THESE CHANGES CONTRAVENE THE SPIRIT OF THE JD AND ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS IN THE BASIC LAW. THEY ALSO RUN COUNTER TO THE UNDERSTANDING REACHED THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. IN ORDER TO ENABLE THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION CONCERNING THE UNDERSTANDING REACHED BY THE TWO SIDES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG'S POLITICAL SYSTEM AND ON CONVERGENCE WITH THE BASIC LAW, THE RELEVANT SEVEN DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA ON THIS SUBJECT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. IN THIS WAY THE PUBLIC WILL LEARN THE TRUTH.

THESE SEVEN DOCUMENTS ARE:

A WRITTEN MESSAGE FROM FOREIGN SECRETARY DOUGLAS HURD TO FOREIGN

MINISTER QIAN QICHEN:

QIAN'S WRITTEN REPLY ON THE QUESTION OF THE VOTING SYSTEM FOR THE

LEGISLATURE:

MR HURD'S MESSAGE TO QIAN QICHEN:

QIAN QICHEN'S REPLY TO MR HURD'S MESSAGE OF 31 JANUARY:

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