UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2255
UNCLASSIFIED
HKB301
ALI
19 JUL 1990.
STRY
on Teken
AST?
4!
156475
MDLIAN 6668
Lu 1817
OF 18040OZ JULY 90
NG!
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP LG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE:
SUMMARY:
WEEKLY ROUNDUP.
1. MEDIA COVERAGE TO NEWS RELATING TO THE FUTURE OF THE TERRITORY WAS ROUTINE DURING THE PERIOD UNDER REVIEW.
FCO MINISTER
2. CHINA HAD PINNED HIGH HOPES ON THE VISIT TO CHINA BY FRANCIS MAUDE DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY WERE STRONGLY OPPOSED TO SOME BRITISH POLICIES FOR HK, THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL (15.7) REPORTED. CHINESE SOURCES SAID THAT PEKING WANTED TO FOSTER A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE IN HK AND WOULD MAKE CONCESSIONS IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC OPINION TO PREPARE FOR MR MAUDE'S VISIT.
3.
BRITISH SOURCES SAID THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF THE VISIT TO THE CHINESE. THE SOURCES CONFIRMED THAT MR MAUDE WOULD DISCUSS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS ISSUES OF BILATERAL INTEREST APART FROM VARIOUS QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE TERRITORY. HOWEVER, THEIR MAIN CONCERN WOULD BE ON HK.
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4. REMARKS BY MR MAUDE ON A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS ON HK AND SINO- BRITISH RELATIONS AT A HEARING OF THE COMMONS FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE WERE REPORTED IN GOOD COVERAGE BY THE MEDIA 12.7). MOST REPORTS PLAYED UP HIS REMARKS THAT HIS COMING VISIT TO PEKING WAS AIMED AT ENDING WESTERN COUNTRIES' FREEZE ON HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS WITH CHINA.
NATIONALITY
5. BRITAIN WAS CONSIDERING ASKING CHINA THAT WHEN APPLYING THE CHINESE NATIONALITY LAWS TO HK, SPECIAL TREATMENT BY GIVEN TO HK CIVIL SERVANTS WHO WERE BENEFICIARIES OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE, THE SCM POST (16.7) REPORTED. THE PAPER UNDERSTOOD THAT WHITEHALL WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW ARTICLE 12 OF THE CHINESE
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