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STATE TO CONSIDER HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY BEFORE MAKING A DECISION ON POLITICAL REFORM. THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S REMARK QUOTE BRITAIN WILL NOT SIT BACK PASSIVELY AND LET THE CLOCK TICK ON UNTIL 1997 UNQUOTE WAS DESCRIBED AS A WELCOME ASSURANCE BY SOME PAPERS. HOWEVER, THE POST SAID THE ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE OVER POLITICAL REFORM BEFORE 1997 WAS VERY LIMITED.
6.
MING PAO (16 JANUARY) PRAISED THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S GOOD PERFORMANCE. THE PAPER SAID HE WAS CHEERFUL, FRANK, ACTIVE AND SINCERE. HE IMPRESSED PEOPLE BY SHOWING THAT HE RESPECTED PEOPLE'S VIEWS, SUPPORTED DEMOCRACY AND WAS PRACTICAL. THE PAPER CONCLUDED THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAD ATTRACTED MUCH PUBLIC ATTENTION AND HAD BEEN TAKING A STEADY AND CONSERVATIVE STAND.
7. OTHERS TOOK A MORE NEGATIVE LINE. SZE CHUN OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES (15 JANUARY) FELT THAT THE VISIT WAS MORE A PUBLIC RELATIONS GESTURE THAN A PRACTICAL ONE. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUNDAY STANDARD (14 JANUARY) SAID QUOTE A BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY'S BURDEN IS TO SHOULDER THIS COLONY'S GROWING SENSE OF BETRAYAL UNQUOTE. THE STANDARD WONDERED IF THE VISIT WOULD PRODUCE ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM BRITISH MINISTERS WHO HAD COME HERE SINCE LAST JULY. THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS (14 JANUARY) NOTED THE BUSY SCHEDULE AND QUESTIONED WHETHER IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO VISIT LOCAL FACILITIES OR TO LISTEN TO VIEWS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE. THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL (15 JANUARY) DESCRIBED THE SECRETARY OF STATE AS A SEASONED POLITICIAN AND SAID HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM HIM AS HE WOULD PUT BRITAIN'S INTEREST FIRST.
LEFT WING PRESS
8. YEUNG MAN-TIN WROTE IN WEN WEI PO (14 JANUARY) THAT IT SEEMED THAT MY VISIT TO PEKING AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG WERE SPECIALLY ARRANGED TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE BLDC POLITICAL SUB-GROUP MEETINGS IN GUANGZHOU. THE WRITER SAID I WOULD BY NOW UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE AND PRINCIPLES OF THE BLDC AND HE HOPED THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD DEAL WITH RELATED PROBLEMS IN A PRAGMATIC MANNER. THE SAME NEWSPAPER (17 JANUARY) CONTAINED AN EDITORIAL HIGHLY CRITICAL OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S REMARKS ON THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE, DISPUTING THE VIEW THAT THIS WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JD.
WILSON
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