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FM HONG KONG 24064OZ OCT 83
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1577 OF 24 OCTOBER
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON,
:
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INFO ROUTHINE HK GOVT REPS WASHINGTON, CG NEW YORK, UKMIS GENTS, 25 CM3/li
BRUSSELS
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.
SUMMARY:
THE COMMUNIST PRESS HAVE BEEN VERY QUIET OVER THE WEEKEND. THE
WINDEPENDENT PRESS, BOTH CHINESE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE, CONTINUE TO PUBLISH ARTICLES, FEATURES AND SOME EDITORIALS ON THE FUTURE, BUT THERE IS LITTLE NEW MATERIAL OR IDEAS HN THEM.
2. REMARKS BY YE FEN, A VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE NPC STANDING
COMMITTEE, AT A RECEPTION ON 22 OCTOBER TO MARK THE OPENING
OF THE AMOY HANTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, WERE WIDELY REPORTED. YE S
QUOTED AS SAYING THAT EVEN CHIANG CHING-KUO WOULD SUPPORT THE
NOT:ION THAT CHINA SHOULD RECOVER SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG.
OTHERWISE YE REFERRED TO THE CHINESE PLAN FOR HONG KONG IN
STANDARD TERMS.
3. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS REPORTED PROMINENTLY REMARKS MADE
BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE, SHR DENYS ROBERTS, TO THE PRESS DURING HAS
VISKT TO CHINA. SHIR DENYS WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT HE
EXPECTED THAT HONG KONG WOULD RETAIN THE PRINCIPLE FEATURES OF
TS PRESENT LEGAL SYSTEM AFTER 1997. HE LAND PARTICULAR EMPHASIS
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMMON LAW SYSTEM.
4. A COLUMNIST IN THE COMMUNIST NEW EVENING POST ON 21 OCTOBER CALLED FOR THE SETTING UP OF A JOINT S.INO/BRITISH COMMITTEE WHOSE TASK WOULD BE TO MONITOR DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG AND TAKE
ACTION IN SUPPORT OF HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. THE
COLUMNIST SAID THAT HONG KONG WAS AT PRESENT UNDER BRUTISH
CONTROL AND THAT THE PROPOSAL WAS NOT MEANT TO CHANGE THE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STABILITY. BUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH A COMMITTEE WOULD
REFLECT THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH HONG KONG NOW FOUND HTSELF. THE TA KUNG PAC (COMMUNHST) ON 22 OCTOBER CARRIED A REPORT OF A DOCUMENT #SSUED BY THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY CENTRAL PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT IN WHICH REFERENCE WAS MADE TO HONG KONG. ACCORDING TO THE TA KUNG PAO, THE REPORT ASSERTED THAT IT WAS THE WISH OF ALL COMPATRIOTS' INCLUDING THOSE
**N HONG KONG AND MACAU TO SEEK REUNIFICATION WITH TAIWAN AND RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG AND MACAU. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS FIRMLY COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLE OF ONE STATE, TWO SYSTEMS UNDER WHICH CAPITALISM WOULD CONTINUE WN HONG KONG,
MACAU AND TAMWAN.
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