GRS 1000
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 01083OZ JAKARTA
TELNO 9
Ri.
INDE
MKC027/6
0 4 NOV 1985
AMENDEDISTRIBUTION.
OF 01074OZ NOVEMBER 85
INFO PRIORITY FCO, PEKING
MMR RENTON'S VISIT: MEDIA COVERAGE
ESTRY
Token
FOLLOWING IS A ROUND-UP OF REPORTS AND COMMENTS ON MP RENTON'S PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN IN HONG KONG ON 31 OCTOBER:
THE STORY WAS PROMINENTLY COVERED BY THE MEDIA. IT WAS THE FRONT PAGE LEAD IN WAH KIU YAT PO AND THE PRO-CHINA CENTRE DAILY NEWS. IT WAS THE BACK PAGE LEAD IN MING PAO, THE FINANCIAL DAILY AND THE
LEADING LEFT-WING TA KUNG PAO. THE ITEM WAS ALSO THE LEAD STORY
ON ATV AND RADIO-1 YESTERDAY. THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS COVERED LIVE
BY RADIO-3.
MOST MEDIA, INCLUDING TA KUNG PAO, HIGHLIGHTED MR RENTON'S REMARKS
THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO PREACH THE WESTMINSTER-STYLE DEMOCRACY TO
HK AND THAT HE FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE NEED FOR THE TERRITORY TO
DEVELOP ITS OWN SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN ACCORDANCE
WITH ITS OWN NEEDS AND CUSTOMS.
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THE OTHER LEADING COMMUNIST PAPER WEN WEI PO LED ITS STORY BY QUOTING THE MINISTER AS SAYING THAT REFORMS IN HK SHOULD NOT AFFECT PROSPERITY AND SHOULD ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION. IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTED MR RENTON'S REMARKS THAT HE BELIEVED IN A STEP BY STEP APPROACH TO REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT WITH EACH STAGE BEING TESTED AGAINST THE EXPERIENCE AND WISHES OF THE PEOPLE.
BOTH LEADING LEFT-WING DAILIES GAVE PROMINENCE TO MR RENTON'S ASSERTION THAT A GREAT SUCCESS COULD BE MADE OF THE JOINT DECLARATION THEY WENT ON TO QUOTE HIM AS SAYING THAT BOTH THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS HAD PLEDGED TO CONSULT THE PEOPLE OF HK AND THAT BOTH WOULD BE VERY WELL ALIVE TO EACH OTHER'S CONCERNS AS WELL AS
THE VIEWS OF HK PEOPLE.
SOME PAPERS, INCLUDING CHING PO IN HEADLINES, QUOTED MR RENTON AS SAYING THAT HE BELIEVED CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM COULD CO-EXIST IN
HK.
PROMINENCE WAS ALSO GIVEN TO MR RENTON'S REMARKS ON THE NATIONALITY QUESTION. THE CENTRE DAILY NEWS HEADLINED ITS STORY TO THE EFFECT THAT MINORITY GROUPS IN HK WOULD BECOME CHINESE NATIONALS. THE PAPER, TOGETHER WITH MANY OTHERS, QUOTED THE MINISTER AS SAYING THAT HE BELIEVED THE RIGHT COURSE FOR THOSE WHO WERE PERMANENTLY SETTLED IN WHAT WOULD BECOME A PART OF CHINA WOULD BE TO BECOME CHINESE
NATIONALS.
ALSO
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