GPS 450
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG 081205Z JUL 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
RESTRICTED
TELEGRAM NUMBER 979 OF 8 JULY 1983
TOP COPY
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK GENEVA AND BRUSSELS
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE
124
MKK040/2
RECEIVED IN RECAY NO. 51
12 JUL 1983
DESK OFFICER INDEX
P
REGISTRY Aɖtion Taken
Milllo
1. MY PRESS CONFERENCE WAS THE LEAD STORY IN MOST PAPERS ON 8 JULY, AS WELL AS BEING GIVEN PROMINENT COVERAGE ON THE TELEVISION AND RADIOT
THE POINTS TO WHICH MOST ATTENTION WAS PAID WERE AS FOLLOWS:
A) MY CONFIRMATION IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION THAT I REPRESENTED THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
B) ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DURATION OF THE TALKS.
C) MY REMARKS ABOUT HONG KONG PEOPLES' DESIRE FOR CONTINUITY AND THE REFLECTION TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT OF THIS VIEW BY UNOFFICIALS.
D) THE FACT THAT I EXPECTED TO VISIT PEKING ANNUMBER OF TIMES DURING THE SECOND PHASE.
E) MY REMARKS THAT THERE WERE NO PLANS FOR THE PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT CHINA IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
F) THE FACT THAT MR. LUCE MIGHT VISIT HONG KONG IN THE AUTUMN (THIS WAS GENERALLY MISINTERPRETED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS AS CONFIRMATION THAT MR. LUCE WOULD JOIN THE TALKS. THE CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS, WITH ONE OR TWO EXCEPTIONS, DID NOT
MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE.)
2. SOME INDEPENDENT PAPERS WONDERED WHETHER REMARKS ABOUT REPRESENTING HONG KONG MIGHT CAUSE DIFFICULTY WITH THE CHINESE, RECALLING THAT THE LATTER HAD MAINTAINED THAT I WOULD TAKE PART AS A MEMBER OF THE BRITISH DELEGATION. THE COMMUNIST PRESS DID NOT COMMENT DIRECTLY ON THIS ASPECT, BUT CONTRIVED TO WORK INTO THEIR COVERAGE REMINDERS THAT STATEMENTS ABOUT THE SECOND PHASE
ISSUED BY THE MFA IN PEKING AND GIS IN HONG KONG HAD ALL SAID THAT I WOULD TAKE PART AS A MEMBER OF THE BRITISH DELEGATION.
3. EDITORIAL COMMENT WAS GENERALLY FAVOURABLE. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL, THE HONG KONG DAILY NEWS AND THE MING PAO (INDEPENDENT) AS WELL AS THE EXPRESS (RIGHT WING) COMMENTED THAT, AS PART OF THE BRITISH TEAM, MY JOB WOULD BE TO REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL SAID THAT CHINA'S WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT MY ATTENDANCE INDICATED A DETER- MINATION TO PRESERVE HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.
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