CONFIDENTIAL
16.
LOCAL MAGAZINES:
21
The 'informed' Far Eastern Economic Review devoted 13 of its pages this week to articles about Hong Kong (the most important of which is attached). The issue also contained a letter from 'Belonger' of Montreal who said, to maintain its present prosperity, HK must be able to retain its own present international characteristics and unique local environment. If this failed, even neighbouring SEZS would suffer (many HK businessmen invested in China merely as a form of tribute). By inappropriately altering HK, China might actually play into Taiwan's hands.
A significant comment in the magazine was written by the Editor, Mr. Derek Davies, in the Traveller's Tales column. He wrote: Our cover story this week is devoted to the very real change in atmosphere in HK, and the grounds for believing that the prospects of the present status remaining unchanged until 1997 and of reaching a pragmatic arrangement for HK thereafter have been immeasurably improved. This comment is linked to the opening paragraph of the cover freature which said that the first battle for HK had been fought and won: Mr. Deng Xiaoping v. those opposed to him within the party, the administration and the army; and Mrs. Thatcher v. her Foreign office advisers.
In the Intelligence column, there was an item which said in an atempt to show itself sensitive to what it believed was China's national interest, the HK Government had been considering ways of discouraging the Soviet Union from using HK as a key point in its bid for East Asian merchant-shipping business, but without appearing to compromise HK's free port status.
17.
OVERSEAS MEDIA :
Mr. Jenkin's visit to Hong Kong and Beijing was covered by the UK press. On 13 January the Daily Telegraph had a report from Beijing based on what Mr. Liao was quoted to have said to the HYK delegation to the effect that China had presented undisclosed proposals to Britain. There were other pieces on the nuclear power plant in Guangdong; financial stories including Trafalgar Housing's Macau project and Chinese investment in the property market; and some lighter articles. The Daily Telegraph of 17 January had an appraisal of HK's future by Lord Chalfont in a series entitled "Britain's Distant Outposts." A copy is attached.
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END
CONFIDENTIAL