RESTRICTED
Media Summary on Hong Kong's Future
Period: March 22 28, 1983
-
INTRODUCTION:
The media has been unusually quiet this week on the subject of the future, the major item being the nuclear power plant talks which shifted from Hong Kong to Beijing where they culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding.
The Economic Journal and the South China Morning Post both mentioned the possibility of the Governor going to Beijing in the near future, although there was no official comment. There was also news that the British Ambassador to China, Sir Percy Cradock, would be retiring later this year to take up an academic post.
Two Unofficials, Mr. T.S. Lo and Mr. Charles Yeung, raised the subject of the
future in the Budget Debate held on Wednesday and Thursday.
GIS released a story over the week-end that foreign and joint venture investment in HK expanded to an all-time record last year despite global recession; the Wen Wei Po reported this as a sign of confidence in the future.
A pressure group composed of HK Chinese living in the UK has been gathering “grassroots” opinion for the past month about the future from the lower-income groups. The group leader has complained that it has been difficult to get senior people to see him.
this week.
The "battle of words" between the left-wing and right-wing papers died down
The Economic Journal, which scooped other papers by reporting that groups including Legco members and academics had been invited to Beijing followed up with the names of the 12 members of a group to visit the Chinese capital in May.
ITEMS:
1.
N-PLANT MEMORANDUM SIGNED:
A memorandum of an understanding for co-operation in the construction of the Guangdong nuclear power plant was signed between Britain and China on 25 March at the conclusion of the 5th round of talks in Beijing.
Details of the memorandum were not known, but Xinhua reported that both sides agreed to set up an office to make preparations for the construction of the N-plant.
At
a meeting with the Deputy Secretary for Industry, Mr. Gordon Manzie, who was in Beijing for the talks, the State Councillor, Mr. Gu Mu, said the project would be beneficial to
RESTRICTED