U.K. TAKES STRONGER LINE ON HONG KONG

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 003065

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NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP AND EAP/CM
NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER



E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2031
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR HK CH UK
SUBJECT: U.K. TAKES STRONGER LINE ON HONG KONG
DEMOCRATIZATION


CLASSIFIED BY: ECONOMIC/POLITICAL SECTION ACTING CHIEF JEFF ZAISER; REA
SONS 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: IN A JULY 25 REPORT, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT
STATED THAT HONG KONG SHOULD IMPLEMENT UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE "AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE" AND ALSO OBSERVED THAT THERE HAS BEEN
"LITTLE OR NO VISIBLE PROGRESS" TOWARD THAT GOAL. THE REPORT
RECEIVED BROAD COVERAGE IN THE HONG KONG PRESS, WHICH ALSO
PUBLISHED COMMENTS FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THAT BOTH IT
AND BEIJING "WERE FULLY ALIVE TO" THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE HONG
KONG PEOPLE FOR UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE. ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH
CONSULATE, THE LATEST REPORT DID NOT DEVIATE FROM POLICY IN
PLACE SINCE DECEMBER 2005, WHICH IS THAT THE U.K. WANTS TO
SEE UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE IN HONG KONG AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. OUR
CONTACT NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD
STRENGTHENED ITS "LANGUAGE AROUND THE POLICY" TO REFLECT
THEIR FRUSTRATION OVER THE LACK OF PROGRESS ON
DEMOCRATIZATION. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE REPORT'S RELEASE,
THE PRC MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER IN HONG
KONG, LU XINHUA, PULLED BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL BRADLEY ASIDE
AT A DINNER TO INFORM HIM THAT BEIJING "DID NOT APPRECIATE
FOREIGN GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE" IN THE AFFAIRS OF HONG KONG.
LU'S SENSITIVITY TO THE BRITISH REPORT MAY HAVE BEEN
HEIGHTENED BY THE RECENT CRITICAL PUBLIC COMMENTS BY TWO
PROMINENT BRITISH VISITORS, FORMER GOVERNOR CHRIS PATTEN AND
MINISTER OF STATE IAN MCCARTNEY, ON THE SLOW PACE OF
DEMOCRATIZATION IN HONG KONG.


2. (C) COMMENT: WHILE THE BRITISH CONSULATE CLAIMS THERE HAS
BEEN NO CHANGE IN THEIR LONG-STANDING HONG KONG POLICY, THE
STRONGER LANGUAGE USED IN THE REPORT TO DESCRIBE AND AMPLIFY
THAT POLICY IS NOTEWORTHY. IT ALSO APPEARS TO CONSTITUTE AN
ADJUSTMENT COMPARED TO OCTOBER 2005 WHEN, FOLLOWING THE
PUBLICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE DONALD TSANG'S PROPOSALS FOR
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM, BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL BRADLEY
REMARKED PUBLICLY THAT THOSE PROPOSALS WERE "A STEP IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION." BRADLEY AND TSANG HAVE BEEN FRIENDS SINCE
THEY SERVED TOGETHER IN THE BRITISH COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION
BEFORE HONG KONG'S REVERSION TO THE PRC. SUBSEQUENTLY,
TSANG'S REFORM PACKAGE WAS BLOCKED BY THE LEGCO DEMOCRATS IN

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DECEMBER. IN A JUNE 2006 DINNER WITH VISITING MEMBERS OF THE
U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION,
DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOUNDER MARTIN LEE EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT
WITH THE LACK OF SUPPORT FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, TELLING
US THAT "ONLY THE U.S. IS TRYING TO HELP HONG KONG." END
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
.

BRITAIN RELEASES SIX-MONTH REPORT ON HONG KONG
-------------- -


3. (SBU) ON JULY 25, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PUBLISHED ITS
LATEST "SIX-MONTHLY REPORT ON HONG KONG," COVERING
DEVELOPMENTS FROM JANUARY TO JUNE 2006. THIS WAS THE
NINETEENTH SUCH REPORT PREPARED BY THE U.K FOREIGN MINISTRY
TO MONITOR AND ASSESS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE "SINO-BRITISH
JOINT DECLARATION ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG." AMONG OTHER
ISSUES, THE DOCUMENT DISCUSSED IN DETAIL THE CONSTITUTIONAL
REFORM DEBATE IN HONG KONG. IN THAT REGARD, FOREIGN
SECRETARY MARGARET BECKETT, IN THE REPORT'S FOREWORD,

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REAFFIRMED THE U.K. GOVERNMENT'S LONG-STANDING POLICY: "WE
BELIEVE THAT HONG KONG SHOULD ADVANCE TO A SYSTEM OF
UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE, AS ENVISAGED IN THE BASIC LAW, AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE." FURTHERMORE, THE REPORT STATED THAT THERE HAS
BEEN "LITTLE OR NO VISIBLE PROGRESS" ON CONSTITUTIONAL
REFORM, AND IT CALLED ON THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE
REGION GOVERNMENT (HKSARG) AND THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO
"ESTABLISH A CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE TO REALIZE THE WISHES OF
THE PEOPLE." MANY OF HONG KONG'S NEWSPAPERS COVERED THE
RELEASE OF THE REPORT, IN VARYING DEGREES OF DETAIL.


4. (SBU) THE LOCAL PRESS ALSO REPORTED THE RESPONSE BY THE
HKSARG TO THE BRITISH DOCUMENT, QUOTING A SPOKESMAN FROM THE
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS BUREAU (CAB) WHO REMARKED THAT BOTH
THE PRC CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND THE HKSARG "WERE FULLY ALIVE
TO" THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE FOR UNIVERSAL
SUFFRAGE. NOTING THAT THE HKSARG WOULD PREPARE A REPORT ON
UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE BY EARLY 2007, BASED ON ONGOING
DISCUSSIONS BY THE COMMISSION ON STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT, AND
WOULD THEN "REFLECT" THOSE VIEWS TO THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT,
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE HKSARG HOPED THAT THIS WOULD PROVIDE A
BASIS FOR FURTHER PROMOTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FROM 2007 TO 2012.


5. (C) ON JULY 27, BRITISH CONSULATE POLITICAL OFFICER SARAH
ROBINSON TOLD US THAT, DESPITE THE EXTENSIVE PRESS ATTENTION


AND HKSARG RESPONSE TO THE REPORT, IN FACT HER GOVERNMENT HAD
"GONE NO FURTHER THAN OUR STANDARD LINE SINCE DECEMBER 2005"
ON HONG KONG: "WE WANT TO SEE UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE." WHAT HAD CHANGED, SAID ROBINSON, WAS THE
"LANGUAGE AROUND THE POLICY," WHICH HAD BEEN TOUGHENED TO
REFLECT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S FRUSTRATION OVER THE DELAYS
AND OVERALL LACK OF PROGRESS TOWARD DEMOCRATIZATION. SHE
SAID THE U.K. WAS "TRYING TO GIVE THEM A NUDGE." ROBINSON
ALSO TOLD US THAT DURING A JULY 25 DINNER, IMMEDIATELY
FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE REPORT, LU XINHUA, COMMISSIONER
OF THE PRC MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN HONG KONG, PULLED
BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL STEPHEN BRADLEY ASIDE FOR A "PRIVATE
CHAT." LU TOLD BRADLEY THAT THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT "DID NOT
APPRECIATE FOREIGN GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE" IN THE AFFAIRS OF
HONG KONG, WHICH WAS A PART OF THE PRC. ROBINSON ALSO NOTED
THE PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE HKSARG, WHICH SHE DESCRIBED AS
RELATIVELY MILD; IN THE PAST, THE CAB REGULARLY COMPLAINED TO
THE CONSULATE THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT EVEN
ISSUE THE SIX-MONTH REPORTS.

OUTSPOKEN VISITORS FROM LONDON
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6. (C) PUBLICATION OF THE REPORT FOLLOWED CLOSELY ON THE
HEELS OF VISITS BY TWO PROMINENT FIGURES FROM THE U.K.
DURING A JULY 10-11 VISIT MOSTLY DEVOTED TO COMMERCIAL
RELATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, MINISTER OF STATE FOR
TRADE, INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS IAN MCCARTNEY DELIVERED
A SPEECH AT THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS CLUB ENTITLED
"ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY." IN THOSE
REMARKS, MCCARTNEY DIVERGED FROM HIS TOPIC TO STATE THAT
UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE SHOULD BE INTRODUCED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
SO HONG KONG COULD CONTINUE TO PROSPER. HE SAID UNIVERSAL
SUFFRAGE WAS SOMETHING THE MAJORITY OF HONG KONG CITIZENS
WANTED, AS EVIDENCED BY THE LARGE PRO-DEMOCRACY
DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE PAST THREE YEARS. ACCORDING TO
ROBINSON, MCCARTNEY'S REMARKS HAD BEEN PREPARED IN PARALLEL
WITH THE SIX-MONTH REPORT; HER GOVERNMENT HAD WANTED "TO USE
HIM TO RESTATE OUR HONG KONG POLICY IN STRONGER TERMS."


7. (C) MORE RECENTLY, LORD CHRIS PATTEN, THE LAST BRITISH
GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, PAID A SIX-DAY VISIT TO HONG KONG JULY
20-25, DURING WHICH HE MADE NUMEROUS PUBLIC APPEARANCES AND
COMMENTS. IN ADDITION TO PRAISING HIS FORMER DEPUTY, ANSON
CHAN, AS A "GREAT CHINESE PATRIOT" AND OUTSTANDING LEADER,
PATTEN ALSO SAID THE HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD CONSIDER THE
PROPOSALS FOR UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE THAT CHAN REPORTEDLY IS
PREPARING. PATTEN ALSO OPINED THAT DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN
HONG KONG WAS TOO SLOW AND THAT SOCIAL HARMONY COULD ONLY BE
REALIZED BY GIVING THE PEOPLE MORE RESPONSIBILITY TO
PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS,
HOWEVER, PATTEN DECLINED TO "BE DRAWN INTO EVERY TWIST AND
TURN OF THE DEBATE" ON UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE, ONLY REMARKING
THAT "THERE WERE NEVER 700,000 PEOPLE (DEMONSTRATING) IN THE
STREETS WHEN I WAS GOVERNOR." HE ALSO DECLINED TO COMMENT ON
WHICH OF HIS FORMER SUBORDINATES, DONALD TSANG OR ANSON CHAN,
WOULD MAKE A BETTER CHIEF EXECUTIVE. ASKED ABOUT PATTEN'S
COMMENTS, ROBINSON SIMPLY NOTED THAT THEY REFLECTED HIS
PERSONAL VIEWS RATHER THAN U.K. GOVERNMENT POLICY.

MULLINS