TNAG-2990-FCO40-3574-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-talks-betwee-1992 — Page 90

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ORGANS ACCORDING TO THE BASIC LAW. THE CHINESE SIDE BELIEVED THAT THEY COULD ENSURE HONG KONG'S SMOOTH TRANSITION.

5. THE CHINESE SIDE THOUGHT THAT THE SUBSTANCE OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES WAS NOT A QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT TO SPEED UP THE PACE OF DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG BUT RATHER A QUESTION OF COOPERATION OR CONFRONTATION. THEY DID NOT WANT TO SEE CONFRONTATION BECAUSE THIS WOULD NOT BE IN HONG KONG'S INTERESTS BUT IF THE OTHER SIDE (IE THE BRITISH SIDE) WANTED CONFRONTATION THEN THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO RESPOND.

6. ON THE QUESTION OF THE NEW AIRPORT, LU SAID THAT IF THE BRITISH SIDE MADE UNILATERAL DECISIONS INVOLVING BURDENS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE FUTURE HKSARG, THIS WOULD BE A VIOLATION OF THE MOU. IN THIS SITUATION THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ANNOUNCE PUBLICLY THAT IT COULD NO LONGER SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW AIRPORT. THE FUTURE HKSARG WOULD NOT HONOUR ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR OBLIGATION, BE IT DEBT OR CONTRACT, FOR ANY PART OF SUCH AN AIRPORT, AFTER 1997. IF THE BRITISH SIDE TOOK ANY SUCH UNILATERAL ACTION AND THE AIRPORT WAS NOT BUILT BECAUSE OF THIS, THEN IT WOULD BE ENTIRELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BRITISH SIDE.

LU SAID THAT SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE JOINT DECLARATION COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES HAD GENERALLY BEEN GOOD. THE CHINESE HOPED THAT THIS COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WOULD NOT BE RUINED. THEY HOPED THAT THE TWO SIDES WOULD MUTUALLY COOPERATE, IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG, AND OF FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA, TO BRING ABOUT A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROSPERITY.

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