GPS 400
RESTRICTED
RESTRICMED
TOP COPY
80
FM HONG KONG JJ0948EZ AUG 33
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1131 OF 3 AUGUST
нско40/12
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
AUG 1983
INFO PEKING HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON (INFO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES) WASHINGTON NEW YORK BRUSSELS GENEVAL
FUTURE OF HONG KONG : PRESS COVERAGE
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Action Tak...-
PA
Schuls
THE PRESENT ROUND OF TALKS IN PEKING WAS ACCORDED FRONT-PAGE COVERAGE IN MOST NEWSPAPERS. WHILST CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE BRITISH DELEGATION WERE NOTED THERE WAS LITTLE SUBSTANTIVE COMMENT. THE INDEPENDENT PRESS CONTINUED TO REFER TO THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE TALKS AS QUOTE CORDIAL UNQUOTE, WITH SMOOTH PROGRESS BEING MADE.
2. THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE AND SEVERAL OTHER INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS CARRIED STORIES ABOUT DISTRICT OFFICERS NOW ACTIVELY SEEKING PUBLIC OPINION ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE. SOME PAPERS SAID THAT THESE VIEWS WOULD BE REFLECTED BY THE BRITISH SIDE AT THE TALKS IN PEKING.
3. THE CURRENT EDITION OF THE MONTHLY QUOTE SEVENTIES UNQUOTE (QISHI NIANDAI) CARRIED AN ARTICLE CRITICAL OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S PROMOTION OF QUOTE HONG KONG PEOPLE TO GOVERN HONG KONG UNQUOTE AND QUOTE HONG KONG TO BE RULED BY HONG KONG LAWS UNQUOTE. THE JOURNAL ARGUED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING INTRINSICALLY WRONG WITH EITHER PROPOSITION, BUT THE MAIN POINT WAS THAT CHINA WAS PROMOTING SUCH THEORIES SIMPLY AS A WAY TO INTERVENE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG. THE PROPOSITIONS WERE A FUNCTION OF CHINA'S QUOTE UNITED FRONT UNQUOTE EFFORT IN HONG KONG. IN FACT, ARGUED THE ARTICLE, QUOTE UNITED FRONT UNQUOTE ACTION WAS SIMPLY THE THIN END OF THE WEDGE. ULTIMATELY AND INEVITABLY QUOTE UNITED FRONT UNQUOTE ACTION WOULD BECOME QUOTE TOTALITARIAN RULE UNQUUTE.
4. THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE HONG KONG STANDARD PUBLISHED AN EDITORIAL ON THE DECISION TO DELETE THE WORD QUOTE COLONY UNQUOTE FROM LEGCO'S STANDING ORDERS (MY TELNO '1898). THE EDITORIAL CLAIMED THAT IT MATTERED LITTLE WHETHER REFERENCES TO QUOTE THE COLONY UNQUOTE WERE RETAINED. THE FACT REMAINED THAT THE WORD ACCURATELY DESCRIBED HONG KONG'S STATUS. IN THE NEWSPAPER'S VIEW, PEKING CARED LITTLE WHETHER OR NOT THE WORD WAS USED SINCE THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD SO FAR SHOWN LITTLE INTEREST IN WHO RAN THE TERRITORY OR HOW IT WAS ADMINISTERED. HADDON- CAVE
FUTURE OF HONG KONG
LIMITED
COPIES TO:
HD/HKD
SIR I SINCLAIR
HD/FED
MR BURROWS
ED/PLANNING STAFF
MR MARTIN
HD/PUSD
PS
MR FLOWER
PS/LADY YOUNG
PS/MR LUCE
PS/PUS
SIR J BULLARD
MR GIFFARD
MR DONALD MR WRIGHT
MR COLES
LEGAL ADVISER LEGAL ADVISERS ASSESSMENTS STAFF CABINET OFFICE
PUSD
NO 10 DOWNING ST
SIR A PARSONS 11
MR WALKER, RESEARCH DEPT
MR ROBERTS NEWS D
GOGGS