CONFIDENTIAL
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Mr Cortazzi
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
HONG KONG: CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS COMMENT ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
1. The Governor of Hong Kong mentioned in a telegram this week that "there has been a curiously strong upsurge of suspicion that the Hong Kong Governemnt is now acting under strong pressure
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from the UK" during his absence of five weeks from Hong Kong.
2.
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The Hong Kong Government's Press Review of comment in the Chinese language newspapers for the period 8-14 December serves to substantiate what the Governor said in his telegram. I
FLAGS A,B attach extracts covering a number of topics. Those headed
"Proposals raised by Labour MPs" (ie the Early Day Motion tabled on 8 December) and "Labour Reforms" reveal considerable resentment
at British "interference" in Hong Kong's affairs. The comment on the Hong Kong Government's recently announced labour reforms is disturbing. Leaving aside the point that these reforms are said to have been more or less imposed from London, the quotations given from various newspapers show that there is considerable opposition to such measures as more paid holidays, unemployment benefits and the phasing out of overtime for 16-17 year olds. The most common criticisms are that such improvements are not wanted by workers in Hong Kong and that they will prejudice Hong Kong's competitiveness. On the other hand, one newspaper is quoted as being in favour of the Hong Kong Government's introducing
a new medical care scheme for workers.
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3.
In considering these comments, it is instructive to note from the extract from the Press Review headed "Joint Letter by 39 Organisations", that there are complaints that the Hong Kong Government do not sound out public opinion properly before taking policy decisions. This seems a somewhat harsh criticism, given
/ that such
CONFIDENTIAL