GPS 250
RESTRICTED
DESKBY 19090OZ
RESTRICTED
MKKC0402
DY
RECEIVED IN
MISTRY 783
FM HONG KONG 19071OZ OCT 83
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1552 OF 19 OCTOBER 1983
AF.3 2/2 CH131|19
10
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK,
BRUSSELS AND UKMIS GENEVA
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE
1. PRACTICALLY ALL INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS DETECTED A MORE CORDIAL ATMOSPHERE ON THE EVE OF THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS IN PEKING. WHILST A NUMBER OF PAPERS ARGUED THAT THE COMING ROUND WAS LIKELY TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT SO FAR, THEY DID NOT (NOT) EXPECT IN ANY JOINT STATEMENT ON 20 OCTOBER TO GO MUCH BEYOND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DATES FOR THE NEXT ROUND. MOST REPORTS COMMENTED ON THE ABSENCE OF REF- ERENCES TO HONG KONG IN THE MEDIA IN PEKING. SEVERAL INDEPENDENT
PAPERS CLAIMED THAT QUOTE LEFT WING SOURCES UNQUOTE WERE RELATIVELY
OPTIMISTIC THAT BRITAIN WOULD ADOPT A QUOTE NEW INITIATIVE UNGUOTE (MY TELNO 1545). THE MAIN NEWS ON ATV'S ENGLISH CHANNEL LAST NIGHT CARRIED A REPORT FROM DIANA LIN IN PEKING WHO QUOTED AN UNDENTIFIED
SOURCE AS SAYING THAT CHINA WOULD LISTEN TO ANY NEW BRITISH PROPOSALS BUT THAT THE CHINESE POSITION THAT SOVEREIGNTY AND ADMINISTRATION
WERE UND VISIBLE WOULD NOT (NOT) CHANGE.
2. THERE WAS LITTLE COMMENT IN THE COMMUNIST PRESS. WEN WEK
PO DESCRIBED THE GOVERNOR AS LOOKING QUOTE RELAXED UNQUOTE WHEN HE
ARRIVED IN PEKING AND QUOTED HIM AS SAYING THAT HE MAINTAINED HIS OPTIMISM ABOUT THE TALKS. AN EDITORIAL IN THE TIN TIN DAILY NEWS
(PRO-CHINA) DESCRIBED THE RELATIVE SILENCE OF THE PRESS IN CHINA AS A LULL BEFORE THE STORM THAT WOULD BREAK UNLESS BRITAIN ADOPTED A
MORE FLEXIBLE STANCE. THE CENTRE DAILY NEWS (ALSO PRO-CHINA) SCHOED
THIS COMMENT.
3. A COLUMNIST IN YESTERDAY'S NEW EVENING POST (COMMUNIST)
REFERRED TO REPORTS FROM LONDON THAT BRITAIN MIGHT CONCEDE SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA IN EXCHANGE FOR QUOTE THE PARTIAL RETENTION
OF ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHT UNQUOTE IN HONG KONG. THIS REPRESENTED A
QUOTE THIRD CARD UNQUOTE IN THE SERIES OF QUOTE PUBLIC OPINION UNQUOTE AND QUOTE ECONOMIC UNQUOTE CARDS. THE COLUMNIST DOUBTED
WHETHER CHINA WOULD ACCEPT A BRITISH DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.
RESTRICTED
14.
264