RESTRICTED
GR 400
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG 120935Z APR 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 494 OF 12 APRIL
TOP COPY
37
See/39)
MKK040|2
14 APR 1983
DESK OFFIC INDEX
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
FUTURE OF HONG KONG PRESS COVERAGE OF VISIT TO PEKING BY HONG KONG ACADEMICS.
CHIOR
TODAY'S PRESS HAS GIVEN WIDESPREAD AND PROMINENT COVERAGE TO THE RETURN FROM CHINA OF A GROUP OF HONG KONG ACADEMICS, WHO HAD BEEN RECEIVED TWICE BY LIAO CHENGZHI IN PEKING AS WELL AS VISITING A NUMBER OF PROVINCIAL CITIES. ONE OF THE DELEGATION MEMBERS, DR JOHN YOUNG OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EXTRA MURAL STUDIES AT HONG KONG UNIVERSITY, SPOKE TO THE PRESS. HE SAID THAT HONG KONG WOULD HAVE ITS OWN CONSTITUTION WHEN THE TERRITORY BECAME A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF CHINA AND THAT A GROUP OF LOCAL PEOPLE WOULD BE FORMED TO WORK ON THE CONSTITUTION. HONG KONG PEOPLE
WOULD BE DEFINED AS THOSE WHO HAD LIVED IN HONG KONG FOR
7 YEARS OR MORE, AND WHO ACCEPTED THAT HONG KONG WAS PART OF CHINA AND THAT THE PEKING GOVERNMENT WAS THE ONLY LEGITIMATE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. DR YOUNG. DID NOT REVEAL WHAT HE OR OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP HAD SAID TO LIAO CHENGZHI. ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, THE FIRST MEETING WAS DEVOTED TO A BRIEFING BY LIAO ON CHINA'S POSITION AND THE SECOND TO AN AIRING OF VIEWS.
2. THE TWO MAJOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS DID NOT (NOT) COVER DR YOUNG'S REMARKS BUT REPORTED ONLY THAT CHINESE LEADERS HAD INDICATED TO THE DELEGATION CHINA'S DETERMINATION TO RESUME SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG NOT LATER THAN 1997. A COMMENTARY IN THE TA KUNG PAO ON 12 APRIL SAID THAT THE REMARKS MADE TO THE DELEGATION REFLECTED CHINA'S LONG ESTABLISHED POLICY. CHINA HAD ALWAYS SAID THAT THE HONG KONG ISSUE WOULD BE SETTLED WHEN THE TIME WAS RIPE. THE FACT THAT CHINA WAS NOW PREPARING A
CONSTITUTION FOR HONG KONG AND PROVIDING FOR THE SETTING UP OF SAR'S DEMONSTRATED THAT THE TIME WAS NOW RIPE.
RESTRICTED
3. THE PRO-CHINA