UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 3524
UNCLASSIFIED
HK6301/1
80
134634 MDLIAN 0209
RECEIVE
29 NOV 1990
*K 0:
INULA
TOP CO
DIST ?
hu
OF 271054Z NOVEMBER 90
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO GENEVA INFO ROUTINE HKGO SAN FRANCISCO
27/11
HONG KONG AGREEMENT : PRESS COVERAGE : WEEKLY ROUNDUP
SUMMARY
■
1 THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HK REMAINED THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION WHILE NEWS RELATING TO PADS AND THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ISSUE WAS GIVEN A MODERATE RUN.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
2. THE RESIGNATION OF MRS THATCHER WAS REPORTED EXTENSIVELY. THE GOVERNOR SAID HE WAS QUITE SURE THAT IT WOULD NOT MEAN ANY CHANGE
TO BRITISH POLICIES TOWARDS HK.
3. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CHINESE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY SAID THAT CHINA HOPED THAT THE NEW PRIME MINISTER WOULD CONTINUE TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE JOINT PACT FOR THE BENEFITS OF BOTH BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS. THE NCNA, LOCAL DIRECTOR, ZHOU NAN, SAID THAT SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS WOULD CONTINUE TO GROW AND THAT THE GOVERNMENTS OF BOTH COUNTRIES WOULD CONTINUE TO CLOSELY ABIDE BY THE JD.
4. THE FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN IN HK, CHRISTOPHER OSBORNE, SAID THAT BRITAIN'S POLICIES ON HK WERE THOSE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THAT THE RESIGNATION OF MRS THATCHER WOULD NOT HAVE ANY MAJOR IMPACT.
5. SENIOR EXCO MEMBER BARONESS DUNN SAID THAT MRS THATCHER'S
RESIGNATION WOULD NOT LEAD TO ANY CHANGES AS THERE WAS NO SPLIT OF VIEWS BETWEEN THE TORIES AND THE LABOUR PARTY AND THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE A CHANGE OF THE HK GOVERNOR FOLLOWING THE RESHUFFLE. SENIOR LEGCO MEMBER ALLEN LEE SAID THAT HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE
JOINT PACT WOULD STILL BE FOLLOWED. LEGCO MEMBER HO SAI-CHU BELIEVED THAT MRS THATCHER'S RESIGNATION WOULD BENEFIT HK BECAUSE IT WOULD ALLOW THE TORIES TO REMAIN IN POWER. ANOTHER LEGCO
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