CONFIDENTIAL
158)
HKK 040/21
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY - 3 DEC 1935
GRS 650
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 2310OOZ FCO
TELNO 2620
OF 230415Z NOVEMBER 85
INFO DESKBY 250100Z PEKING
NİR
DESK OFFICEN INDEX
PA
29 NOVIRG
MY TELNO 2612 : REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG :
PRESS CONFERENCE BY XU JIATUN
1. BY COINCIDENCE XU HAD ARRANGED SOME WEEKS AGO TO HAVE DINNER LAST NIGHT WITH SIR S Y CHUNG, MISS LYDIA DUNN AND Q W LEE (ALL MEMBERS OF EXCO). THEY HAVE HAD SIMILAR OFF-THE-RECORD DINNERS IN THE PAST. QIAO ZONGHUA, A MEMBER OF THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, WAS ALSO PRESENT.
2. XU COULD NOT WAIT TO GET ON TO THE SUBJECT OF HIS PRESS CONFERENCE. HE SAID THAT HE RECOGNISED THAT HE ''DROPPED A BOMB'' HE SEEMED CONCERNED ABOUT THE EFFECT IT HAD HAD : AND LATER ADDED THAT HE WOULD NOT DO THIS OFTEN.
3. HE THEN SET OUT A REMARKABLE LIST OF ISSUES ON WHICH HE SAID THE CHINESE BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE BEING PUT INTO A CORNER' BY THE BRITISH. THESE INCLUDED THE MEASURES WHICH WE HAD TAKEN ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT: SOME ''ECONOMIC MEASURES WHICH HE COULD NOT SPECIFY INDICATING THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WAS PLANNING TO SELL OFF PUBLIC BODIES TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR: THE PUBLIC REFERENCE TO THE OPTION OF INTERNAL SECURITY FORCE TO REPLACE THE GARRISON MADE BY THE RETIRING CBF AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE EARLIER IN THE YEAR: THE WHITE PAPER ON BRITISH NATIONALITY: MY ADDRESS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, BECAUSE REFERRED TO COMBINING PROGRESS WITH STABILITY INSTEAD OF USING THE CLASSIC PHRASE **PROSPERITY AND STABILITY'' : MR RENTON'S PRESS CONFERENCE BECAUSE IT LOOKED AS THOUGH HMG WERE HANDING OVER TO HONG KONG: THE VISIT MY GALSWORTHY AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO THE KOWLOON WALLED CITY, AND THE REMARKS MADE BY THE SECRETARY OF
WHICH DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION ON IMPROVING CONDITIONS IN IT, RAISED THE SENSITIVE ISSUE OF CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY'', AND EVEN AN ARTICLE IN THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST A FEW DAYS AGO IDENTIFYING THE RIFT BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA OVER POLITICAL CHANGES IN HONG KONG (MY TELNO 2587) WHICH HE ATTRIBUTED TO A BRITISH LEAK.
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CONFIDENTIAL
14.
FEGISTRY
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