HKK 040/2
3 OCT 1983
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Action Taken
GR 500
RESTRICTED
Can i hagen
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG 010445Z OCT 83
TO IMMEDIATE FOO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1455 OF 1 OCTOBER
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
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ROUTHINE (FOR HK REPS) WASHINGTON CG NEW YORK UKM-S GENEVA BRUSSELS
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE
ALL INDEPENDENT CHINESE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS TODAY GAVE
PPROMINENT COVERAGE TO YESTERDAY'S REMARKS BY ZHAO
ZIYANG AND JA PENGFE IN PEKMING AND XU JHATUN N HONG KONG AT
CHINESE NATIONAL DAY RECEPTIONS.
2. MOST PROMINENT COVERAGE WAS GIVEN TO AFP REPORTS OF J PENGFILE'S COMMENT. ACCORDING TO AFP, JE SAND THAT PEKING WILL MAKE
A STATEMENT ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR HE SN-
BRITISH NEGOTIATORS HAVE NOT REACHED AN AGREEMENT BY THEN. AFP
SAID THAT J REFUTED THE VIEW THAT THE POLULATION OF HONG KONG WAS
NOT LARGELY HN FAVOUR OF THE REUMPTION OF CHINESE ADMINISTRATION OVER THE TERRITORY. PEOPLE WHO HELD SUCH VIEWS WERE QUOTE LIARS
UNQUOTE QUOTED AFP.
3. THE
NDEPENDENT PRESS QUOTED ZHAO'S REFERENCE TO HONG KONG HN HIS NATIONAL DAY ADRESS: QUOTE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG IS KNOWN TO EVERYBODY. OUR FARM AND UNSHAKABLE POLICY HIS TO RESUME THE EXERCISE OF OUR SOVEREIGNTY WHILE MAINTAINING THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG UNQUOTE. THE INDEPENDENT PRESS REMARKED THAT THE LOCAL RECEPTION HOSTED BY XH JRATUN FOLLOWED THE PATTERN OF PREVIOUS YEARS, ALTHOUGH X WAS REPORTED HAVE SAID THAT HE HOPED THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS WOULD COOPERATE FULLY TO MAINTAIN THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG.
4. THN TAN DAILY NEWS (PRP-CHINA) BUT NONE (NONE) OF THE COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS CARRIED JH PENGFE'S REMARKS. THE COMMUNIST PRESS PUBLISHED THE FULL TEXT OF ZHAO ZHYANG'S ADDRESS AND GAVE WIDE (MAINLY PICTORIAL) COVERAGE OF XU JPATIN'S LOCAL RECEPTION. EDITORIALS IN THE LEADING COMMUNIST TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WE PO WERE UNREMARKABLE, STATING THE AHM OF NATIONAL REUNIFICATION IN GENERAL TERMS AND FOCUSSING ON CHINA'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE PAST 34 YEARS. THEY CONTAINED NO DIRECT CRITICISM OF ENTHER THE HONG KONG OR BRHITISH GOVERNMENTS.
5. THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE EDITORIAL COMMENT IN THE INDEPENT PRESS. THE FINANCIAL DAILY SAND THAT J PENGFHE'S REMARKS CONTAINED NOTHING NEW M-N THE REASSERTION OF A UNILATERAL STATEMENT BY CHINA NEXT YEAR UF THERE WAS NO PROGRESS HN THE TALKS. THIS HAD BEEN SAND EARLIER BY DENG XIAOPING. SING PAO REGARDED XU JHATUN'S COMMENTS AS A REFLECTION OF THE SINCERITY OF SINO-BRITISH EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY.
RESTRICTED
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