(313)
GR 600
RESTRICTED
DESKEY 23080OZ
.
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG 23044OZ NOV 83
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1800 OF 23 NOVEMBER
FIKKOAOR
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
TOP COPY3 NOW 1983
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEK ING
INFO ROUTINE HK GOVT REPS WASHINGTON, CG NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA, BRUSSELS
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.
1. FUTURE RELATED STORIES WERE NOT PARTICULARLY PROMINENT ON
23 NOVEMBER. MOST PAPERS CONTINUED TO REPORT THE VISIT TO PEK-ING BY THE 81 HONG KONG AND MACAU BUSINESSMEN (MY TELMO 1736). THE WEN WEP PO (COMMUNIST) QUOTED ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP, MR WANG KUAN-CHENG OF THE CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AS SAYING THAT CHINA WOULD, AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME, SET UP A SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE ALL CONCRETE ISSUES CONNECTED WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HONG KONG PEOPLE TO RUN HONG KONG''. THE WEN WEH PO ALSO PUBLISHED INTERVIEWS WITH SOME OF THE MORE PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION, ALL OF WHOM WERE QUOTED AS SAYING THAT JE PENGFE'S REMARKS ABOUT A MINI CONSTANTUTION AND THE EXCELLENCE OF SINO/BRITISH RELATIONS WERE REASSURING, AND THAT CHINA UNDERSTOOD THE UNIQUE FEATURES WHICH MADE HONG KONG WORK. THE TIN TIN DAILY (PRO-CHINA) AND SOME NDEPENDENT CHINESE-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS QUOTED MEMBERS OF THE GROUP AS HAVING BEEN TOLD BY LK HOU (VICE DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU OFFICE) THAT HONG KONG WOULD NOT (NOT) BE MERGED WITH SHENZHEN OR ZHU HAH SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES BECAUSE OF THE GAP IN LIVING STANDARDS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE SEZ'S.
2. THE ORIENTAL DAILY (INDEPENDENT) QUOTING UNSPECIFIED SOURCES, SAND THAT HONG KONG WOULD HAVE HTS OWN FLAG AFTER 1997, WHICH WOULD KN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES FLY SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE CHINESE FLAG. THE DESHGN HAD NOT YET BEEN DECIDED.
3. THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST CARRHED AN ARTICLE FROM MICHAEL JONES IN LONDON REPORTING THAT LIBERAL MP DAVID ALTON HAD PROPOSED THAT THE COMMONWEALTH SHOULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO RESETTLE
· HONG KONG RESIDENTS IN THE EVENT OF A FAILURE IN THE SNO/BRITISH TALKS. THE SCMP ALSO PICKED UP AN EDITORIAL IN THE PRO-CHINA
TIN TUN DAILY WHICH SAND THAT BRITISH MP'S TALKED TOO MUCH ABOUT HONG KONG. THEY GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT BRITISH ASSURANCES AND GUARANTEES WERE NEEDED TO SECURE HONG KONG'S FUTURE. HOWEVER, THE TALKS WERE MERELY ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH BRITISH INTERESTS IN HONG KONG COULD BE MFAINTAINED. BRITISH MP'S REMARKS COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE TALKS.
RESTRICTED
14.
TRY
Taken
CH130/4