CONFIDENTIAL
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The territory's voice had been and would continue to be heard in the negotiating chamber. HK would survive its current economic difficulties and reach new heights of achievement. The two principal left-wing papers, Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po, accorded back page coverage to the message.
In a shorter summary, Wen Wei Po also omitted the same passages
as the Ta Kung Pao.
Virtually all major independent and pro-Taiwan papers commented editorially on the message. The reassurance given by Sir Edward was described as "the best gift in the Year of the Pig" by Wah Kiu Yat Po; "a big red packet" by Sing Tao Jih Pao; "the spiritual gift which no one can neglect" by Kung Sheung Daily News; and "good news to boost public confidence" by the HK Daily News and HK Times.
The HK Daily News said the message was topical and sincere. HE's comment on HK's future was designed to preserve, with the full support of local residents, our systems and lifestyle. The HK Economic Journal said the fact that Sir Edward addressed the public on Lunar New Year Day instead of on 1 January showed he respected Chinese tradition. It was appropriate of Sir Edward not to mention the validity of the treaties and Britain's moral obligations towards HK because this would openly challenge China's sovereignty claim. But the paper queried whether the assertion that the wishes of HK people would be respected meant the continuation of British Administration or China's regaining both sovereign and administrative rights. The message raised questions rather than answering them. Kung Sheung Daily News said the spiritual gift was in the form of Sir Edward's reassurance that the voice of the people would continue to be heard in the negotiating chamber. In other words, the Governor pledged that Britain would not reach a compromise with China without taking into account the wishes of HK residents. The paper envisaged that the problem would be settled if local residents continued to speak up against China's intention to regain sovereignty. Ming Pao said the Governor had not overdone things by repeating the assurance because it was the earnest wish of local residents that their views were respected by both China and Britain. The Governor's optimism about the outcome of the talks was based on three factors: Firstly, there was common interest between Britain, China and HK; secondly, China was now implementing reasonable and pragmatic polices; and, lastly, Sino-British relations were excellent.
In the English-language Press, the SCMP headlined the story "HK will welcome final pact on 1997". The Standard put the story on Page 2, headlining it: 'Your voice will be heard, says Youde'.
In an editorial the
SCMP said the Governor's assurance that the voice of the HK people would continue to be heard in the negotiations should help to allay fears that Britain might leave us in the lurch when it came to the final reckoning. How much weight these views would carry with the Chinese Government was less easy to predict since, if it considered that HK was the internal affair of China, it was unlikely to give much attention to the concerns of HK people, but it hoped that no one would be so arrogant as to argue that HK people had no say in their own future. This issue weighed heavily on the minds of our Government which was anxious to find the right way to bridge the gap between the time the treaty on the NT expired in 1997 and when HK was absorbed by China in whatever form it decided. Many had expressed the hope of maintaining the status quo in HK, but to use the words “status quo" was misleading since it implied no change. Yet there must be
CONFIDENTIAL