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CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 080153Z FEB 83
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 195 OF 8 FEBRUARY
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE
найоча
- 8 FEB 1983
DESK OFFICER INDEX
Ps.
THE GENERAL RHYTHM OF THE PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN IN THE COMMUNIST PRESS HAS BEEN SUSTAINED OVER THE WEEKEND. KE HUA, CHINESE AMBASSADOR IN LONDON, WAS PROMINENTLY REPORTED IN THE WEN WEI PO ON 6 FEBRUARY AS HAVING REPEATED CHINA'S GENERAL POSITION TO MEMBERS OF THE CHINESE COMMUNITY IN LONDON ATTENDING A LUNAR NEW YEAR RECEPTION AT THE EMBASSY. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, KE EMPHASISED THAT HONG KONG'S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM, THE LIFESTYLE OF HONG KONG PEOPLE AND HONG KONG'S ROLE AS A FINANCIAL CENTRE AND FREE PORT WOULD NOT BE CHANGED.
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2. THE NEW EVENING POST, THIRD RANKING OF THE COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS AND WHICH HAS GENERALLY BEEN USED TO CARRY THE MOST HOSTILE ELEMENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN, PUBLISHED AN EDITORIAL ON 4 FEBRUARY WHICH SOUGHT TO MODIFY THE EFFECT OF THE 'CONTEMPORARY HISTORY RESEARCH ARTICLE'' (MY TELSNOS 163 AND 179 REFER). ACCORDING TO THE NEW EVENING POST, THE ARTICLE WAS INTENDED TO GIVE A CLEAR ACCOUNT OF THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND WAS NOT (NOT) INTENDED TO SETTLE SCORES WITH BRITAIN OR TO SEEK COMPENSATION TODAY'S BRITISH PEOPLE WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ACT OF IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION A CENTURY AGO. THE PURPOSE OF REPEATING CHINA'S STANCE ON THE UNEQUAL TREATIES WAS TO GIVE THE BRITISH PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT A GOOD HISTORY LESSON AND PERSUADE THEM TO AGREE TO ABROGATE THE TREATIES AND RECOGNISE CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. THE ARTICLE PICKED UP REMARKS IN A SPEECH MADE BY LORD MACLEHOSE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR TO THE EFFECT THAT PEOPLE SHOULD STOP LOOKING TO THE PAST AND CONCENTRATE ON THE FUTURE, AS WELL AS REMARKS IN A SIMILAR VEIN MADE BY LORD BELSTEAD AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE IN HONG KONG.
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