GR 750
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
ADOS
do
222
DESKBY 2109OOZ
FM HONG KONG 21075OZ SEP 83
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1393 OF 21 SEPTEMBER
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, HK GOVT REPS WASHINGTON, CO NEW YORK, BRUSSELS, UKMIS GENEVA
**
HKK040/2 Re
RECEIVED IN ALOITAT
24SEP 1983
MONISTRY
INDEX
PA
1
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.
KCM126/2
1. ALL LEFT-WING NEWSPAPERS REPRINTED IN FULL THE PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE ENTITLED 'CHINA RECOVERING SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG IS ENTIRELY CONSISTENT WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW'' (PEKING TELNO 913)(216 THE ARTICLE WAS ALSO WIDELY REPORTED IN THE INDEPENDENT PRESS WITH EDITORIAL COMMENT IN MING PAO AND THE EXPRESS.
2. MING PAO REGARDED THE PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE AS A FULL STATEMENT OF CHINA'S STANCE'' BEFORE THE FOURTH ROUND OF TALKS. THE EDITORIAL SAW BRITAIN'S AIM IN THE TALKS TO TRY TO SECURE CONTINUED BRITISH ADMINISTRATION AFTER 1997. BUT THAT WAS STILL 14 YEARS AWAY. THE MORE IMMEDIATE AND MORE DIFFICULT PROBLEM WAS THE CONTINUED DEPRECIATION OF THE HONG KONG DOLLAR. UNLESS THE NOSEDIVE WAS HALTED, ARGUED MING PAO, AND THE LOCAL ECONOMY COLLAPSED IN FOUR OR FIVE YEAR'S TIME, THERE WOULD BE NO NEED TO DISCUSS SOVEREIGNTY AND ADMINISTRATION 14 YEARS FROM NOW. THE PAPER URGED BRITAIN AND CHINA TO CO-OPERATE IN A FRIENDLY MANNER TO STABILISE THE HONG KONG DOLLAR. HT SAND THE KEY LAY WITH THE CONFIDENCE OF HONG KONG PEOPLE. CONFIDENCE WOULD EXHST ONLY IN THE BELIEF THAT THE TWO SIDES WERE MAINTAINING A FRIENDLY CO-OPERATION. THE EDITOR:AL HOPED THAT A JOINT STATEMENT WOULD ISSUE FROM THE PRESENT TALKS WHICH REAFFIRMED THE TWO SIDES' COMMITMENT NOT ONLY TO LONG-TERM STABILITY AND PROSPERITY BUT ALSO TO CO-OPERATION IN STABILISHING THE HONG KONG DOLLAR. 3. THE EXPRESS COMMENTED THAT THE PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE WAS DESIGNED TO PUT PRESSURE ON BRITAIN ON THE EVE OF THE RESUMPTION OF THE TALKS IN PEKING. MT SAW THE ARTICLE AS THE FIERCEST ATTACK ON BRITAIN SINCE 1967.
4. WEN WEK PO (COMMUNIST) REITERATED ITS NOW-STANDARD ACCUSATION THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WAS TRYING TO USE BOTH ''PUBLIC OPINION AND ECONOMIC CARDS''. #T CLAIMED THAT THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY'S MID-YEAR REVIEW SOUGHT TO ARGUE THAT HONG KONG'S ECONOMY COULD NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT BRITISH ADMINISTRATION. SUCH REMARKS SAND WEN WEH, PO SHOWED THAT NEMTHER THE HONG KONG NOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD ANY INTENTION OF MAINTAINING HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR COLONIAL INTERSTS THEY WERE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE THE INTERESTS OF 5 MILLION HONG KONG PEOPLE.
See 225
(226)
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15.