RR
RR
NEW YORK
BRUSSELS
RR GENEVA
GPS 200
VANCED
W88)
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG 140930Z JUN 83 (CORRECTED VERSION)
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 801 OF 14 JUNE 1983
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BRUSSELS AND GENEVA
#FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE
1. ON 11 JUNE (THE FIRST DAY OF THE HOLIDAY WEEK-END) ALL PAPERS
GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE OF THE DEATH ON 10 JUNE OF POLITBURO
MEMBER AND OVERSEAS CHINESE AFFAIRS DIRECTOR LIAO CHENGZHI.
THE NEWS WAS THE LEAD ITEM IN THE COMMUNIST PRESS WHICH CARRIED
LENGTHY OBITUARIES. MOST INDEPENDENT PAPERS PRINTED ASSESSMENTS
OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS, AND OF HIS ROLE IN FORMULATING CHINA'S
POLICY TOWARDS HONG KONG AND MACAU. WHILE THERE WERE DIFFERING
OPINIONS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS CONTRIBUTION, THERE WAS GENERAL
AGREEMENT THAT HIS DEATH WOULD NOT AFFECT CHINA'S STANCE ON THE
1997 QUESTION. SEVERAL INDEPENDENT PAPERS SPECULATED THAT LIAO'S
* FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO HONG KONG WOULD BE ASSUMED BY NPC
VICE-CHAIRMAN XI ZHONGXUN.
2. THE MAJOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS (TA KUNG PAO, WEN WEI PO AND
NEW EVENING POST) ALL GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE TO AND COMMENTED
ON A STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE STUDENTS UNION OF THE CHINESE
UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. THE STATEMENT TOOK ISSUE WITH THE VIEWS
EXPRESSED IN THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS' MEMORANDUM (MY TELNO 784),
INSISTING THAT SELF-RULE WAS PRACTICABLE THROUGH DEMOCRATISATION
AND THE PARTICIPATION OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS. IT ADDED THAT SINCE
THE SELF-RULE PROPOSAL WAS STILL IN AN EMBRYONIC STAGE, THERE
WAS PLENTY OF TIME AND SCOPE FOR PEOPLE TO DEBATE AND IMPROVE
ON THE FORMULATION.
YOUDE
NNNN