AKD 301/1
Extract: summary of word Broadcasts,
SWB
17th March 87
FE/8518/A3/6
17 Mar 87
mainland needs to absorb foreign investment, how can Hongkong reject foreign invest- ment? Hongkong needs investment by local Chinese as well as foreign investment, including British investment...
Under British administration, Hongkong enjoys quite a lot of local autonomy. Although London has the final say, it has never exercised political interference in Hongkong's free economic operations, nor have British goods ever had too great a privilege. The Hongkong government never provides subsidies for the existence of an enterprise or undertaking. For historical reasons, British capital once obtained a leading position in Hongkong. In the 1970s, however, local Chinese capital began to gain the upper hand. This fully suggests the law of free economic activities: those who are farsighted and dare to make progress and investments will finally rise in competition. The government should not interfere... In the opinion of people in various fields, the positive attitude of British investment groups toward expanding their investments in Hongkong will be beneficial to Hongkong's prosperity, as well as allowing them to make profits in Hongkong. This will add to the successful factors for exercising the policy of “one country, two systems". (Hongkong, Wen Wei Po' 11 Mar 87)
Hongkong paper opposes Public Order Bill (11 Mar 87) published a commentary entitled "Amendment of regulations by the The Hongkong paper Ta Kung Pao' Hongkong government causes concern in press circles". The commentary noted that the Public Order (Amendment) Bill had been "strongly criticised" in Hongkong and said that "any infringement upon freedom of the press would have a general pernicious influence".
Taiwan comments on amendment to Hongkong press freedom law Chinese have an old saying that goes "when the first leaf falls, you know autumn is (Excerpts) The coming." It means simply that the leaf is a signal of things of come. Such a signal, on the order of a bombshell, was dropped in Hongkong on 11th March, when the Legislative Council there passed a new law that puts potential curbs on press freedoms. The law, called the Public Order Law [as received] puts into place language that is ambiguous enough to cause shivers in the Hongkong press. The press and public have voiced overwhelming opposition to it. The new law simply states that no print media may publish news that is either "false or harmful to public order”. What that means exactly is anyone's guess. The fact that it is not a black and white law is what has the print media up in arms. ..
Whatever the case, most Hongkong Chinese agree on one thing. Any curbs on any freedoms are incompatible with Hongkong's intertwined tradition of freedom and prosperity, and should be avoided at all costs. In this sense, most view the new law as a step in the wrong direction. As the fate of a communist takeover nears, Hongkong should be strengthening its free systems. It should not water them down to make them more palatable to the Chinese communists. But the leaf has already fallen. The precedent of retreat in the face of communist pressure from Peking has been set. What lies ahead for Hongkong may literally turn out to be a premature autumn of change, leading eventually to a long winter of discontent after 1997. (CNA in English 1338 gmt 14 Mar 87)
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