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FM HONG KONG 130909Z JAN 83
TO PRIORITY F CO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 56 OF 13 JANUARY
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
000238
COMMS OFFICE REG.NO... D.T.R. 13th JANUARY 1983 1640 FRS D.T.D. 13th JANUARY 1983 1726 RS
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
MIPT: FUTURE OF HONG KONG : PRESS COVERAGE
IN ADDITION TO THE COVERAGE OF THE N.T. DELEGATION VISIT REPORTED IN MIPT, THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF OTHER ARTICLES AND EDITORIALS ON THE FUTURE. THE YANG CHENG EVENING NEWS, A CANTON PAPER WIDELY AVAILABLE IN HONG KONG, PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE ON AN INSIDE PAGE IN ITS 10 JANUARY EDITION ON THE FAMILIAR THEME THAT HONG KONG'S PRESENT PROSPERITY IS DUE TO THE HARD WORK OF ITS PEOPLE AND THE SUPPORT OF CHINA RATHER THAN TO THE BRITISH CONNECTION. THE ARTICLE ADDED NOTHING TO POINTS ALREADY MADE IN MANY SIMILAR ARTICLES IN THE HONG KONG COMMUNIST PRESS, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME TO OUR KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS THEME HAS BEEN TAKEN UP BY THE OFFICIAL PRESS.
2. THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (SCMP) PUBLISHED AN EDITORIAL ON 13 JANUARY COMMENTING ON THE YANG CHENG EVENING NEWS ARTICLE, THE SCMP SAID THAT THE LAST THING HONG KONG WANTED TO GET INVOLVED IN AT THIS STAGE OF DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINA ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE WAS A GAME OF CHAUVINISTIC ONE-UPMANSHIP, IT WAS TRUE THAT HONG KONG'S SUCCESS OWED MUCH TO THE ENDEAVOUR OF ITS
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PEOPLE AND TO THE SUPPORT.
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