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FM HONG KONG 140800Z JUL 33
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1003 OF 14 JULY 1983
TOP COPY
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK,
GENEVA AND BRUSSELS
Ε
MKK040/2
**
19 JUL 1983
OLSK OF
INDEX
FUTURE OF HONG KONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE OF THE TALKS IN PEKING.
1. ALL NEWSPAPERS GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE OF THE CONCLUSION
OF THE TALKS IN PEKING ON 13 JULY. THE STORIES HIGHLIGHTED YAO
GUANG'S DESCRIPTION OF THE TALKS AS QUOTE USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE
UNQUOTE AND HIS STATEMENT THAT THEY WOULD BE RESUMED ON 25 AND
26 JULY.
2. MOST PAPERS REACTED FAVOURABLY TO THE STATEMENT, INTERPRETING
IT AS AN INDICATION THAT THE TALKS WERE MOVING IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION. WITH LESS SPECULATION ABOUT THE ACTUAL CONTENT OF THE
TALKS, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS OF THE QUOTE ROWDY SCENES
UNQUOTE AS JOURNALISTS SCRAMBLED TO INTERVIEW YAO. THE MANNER IN
WHICH DELIVERED THE STATEMENT HAS GIVEN SOME NEWSPAPERS THE
IMPRESSION THAT IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN AN AGREED JOINT STATEMENT.
THIS LED THE TIN TIN DAILY NEWS (PRO CHINA) AND ORIENTAL DAILY
NEWS (INDEPENDENT) TO SPECULATE THAT THE ABSENCE OF A JOINT COM-
MUNIQUE MIGHT INDICATE THAT THERE WERE SNAGS IN THE TALKS WHICH HAD
NOT YET BEEN RESOLVED.
3. TA KUNG PAO (COMMUNIST) AND SEVERAL OTHER PAPERS QUOTED A
SPOKESMAN FOR THE BRITISH DELEGATION AS SAYING THAT THE SAME
DELEGATION WOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE TALKS ON 25 AND 26 JULY. IN
ITS EDITORIAL, THE WEN WEI PO (COMMUNIST) SAID THAT THE PRESENCE
OF A LEGAL ADVISER IN THE CHINESE TEAM SHOWED THAT CHINA HAD TAKEN
INTO CONSIDERATION THE POSSIBILITY OF THE TWO SIDES CONCLUDING
AN AGREEMENT. ALTHOUGH THE BRITISH DELEGATION HAD NO SUCH REP-
RESENTATIVE AT PRESENT, LONDON MIGHT INCLUDE ONE IF THE TALKS CONTINUED TO MAKE GOOD PROGRESS. THE WEN WEI PO EDITORIAL ALSO
REFERRED TO MR. ROBERT ADLEY'S REMARKS (MY TELNO 984) AS A POSSIBLE
INDICATION THAT THE TWO COUNTRIES HAD MADE PROGRESS ON THE HONG
ASSISTAY. Arton faban
KONG QUESTION.
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