GR 150
SECRET
FUTURE EGRET
HKK 040/2 FOP COPY
MAR 1983
31
AF"
SECRET
The Hors
•Man's 18/3 Ps. Nothing to add here
16/3
FM HONG KONG 161010Z MAR 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 362 OF 16 MARCH
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
FUTURE EGRET
18
YOUR TELIO 240: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.
1
1. WE AGREE WITH THE COMMENT IN YOUR PARA 2. SOME OF Tlic INDEPENDENT CHINESE LANGUAGE PAPERS (EG THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL) HAVE ALSO MADE THE POINT THAT REFERENCE NEWS'' IS AN IMPROBABLE VEHICLE FOR A MAJOR POLICY ANNOUNCEMENT. THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE PRO-KMT HONG KONG TIMES HARDLY ADDS
CREDIBILITY TO THE STORY.
2. IN ITS EDITORIAL COMMENT ON 11 MARCH THE PRO-COMMUNIST NEW EVENING POST SUGGESTED THAT THE STORY WAS NO MORE THAN A KMT-INSPIRED DISTORTION OF CHINA'S STANDARD POSITION ON THE RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY. ONE POSSIBILITY (FOR WHICH, HOWEVER, WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE) IS THAT THE SOURCE COULD HAVE PICKED UP A REFERENCE TO WHAT ZHOA ZIYANG SAID TO THE PRESS IN TANZANIA (MY TELNO 73) WHICH IS VERY MUCH THE KIND OF MATERIAL NORMALLY FOUND IN ''REFERENCE NEWS''.
3. THERE HAS BEEN NO FOLLOW UP TO THE STORY NOR HAVE WE SO FAR SEEN ANY REFERENCES TO A SEPTEMBER DATE
YOUDE LIMITED MD/HK+GD
HO/FED MR DONALD
SECRET
THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RETAINED
IN THE DEPARTMENT UNDER
SECTION 3 (4) OF THE
PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958