GRS 220
HKK
BECEIVED IN REGISTRY
14 OCT 1986
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 3272
DESK OFF NCER
HEMISTRY
INDEX
PA
Adton Taken
OF 061125Z OCTOBER 86
383
YOUR TELNO 2146 : ARTICLE IN HONG KONG MONITOR : 1987 REVIEW.
1. I HAVE INDEED SEEN THE FIRST ISSUE OF HONG KONG MONITOR AND
WAS STRUCK, AS NO DOUBT YOU WERE TOO, BY HOW OUTDATED MANY OF THE ARTICLES WERE.
2. SO FAR AS CAN TELL, THE ALLEGED QUOTE BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY IS
A MISREPRESENTATION OF REMARKS HE MADE IN A MEET THE MEDIA SESSION
HELD ON 30 DECEMBER 1985. THE CS WAS UNDER CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE
ON WHETHER THE CHINESE WOULD BE CONSULTED IN ADVANCE ON THE 1987 REVIEW. HE WENT NO FURTHER THAN SAYING THAT ''I THINK THERE HAS TO
BE A CONSTRUCTIVE EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ON FURTHER POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG, THAT YOU ARE GOING TOO FAR AHEAD TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN 1987..
I CAN'T SAY PRECISELY
WHAT THE FORM OF INFORMING THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT OF WHAT IS IN THE 1987 REVIEW WILL BE, AT THIS TIME. BUT CLEARLY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAVE A DEEP INTEREST IN IT, AND THAT ONE OF THE
POSSIBILITIES' WAS THAT THE CHINESE WOULD BE SHOWN THE GREEN
PAPER BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED.
3. THIS IS ALL PRETTY OLD HAT NOW AND I DOUBT WHETHER THERE WILL BE
MUCH INTEREST IN HONG KONG IN THE STORY. I WOULD THEREFORE
ADVISE THAT BOTH NEWS DEPT AND GIS SHOULD STICK TO THE LINE IN
THE LAST SENTENCE OF PARA 2 OF TUR AND NOT GET DRAWN INTO THE SORT
OF STATEMENT SUGGESTED IN YOUR PARA 5.
YOUDE
YYYY
HMLNAN 2872
LIMITED
НКР
FED. NEWS. D DR WILSON
RESTRICTED
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