UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 838
OF 19100OOZ MARCH 91
UNCLASSIFIED
4 APR 1991
119
177707
MDLIAN 6988
1CP COPY
Q DIST?
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUND-UP
SUMMARY
1. THE NEWS WAS DOMINATED BY COVERAGE OF THE VISIT BY THE FORMER AND PRESENT DIRECTORS OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, JI PENGFEI AND LU PING. REPORTS RELATING TO THE NEW AIRPORT PLAN ALSO RECEIVED A GOOD RUN.
LU PING AND JI PENGFEI
2. LU PING SAID (13.3 REPORTS) THAT HONG KONG AND THE MAINLAND SHOULD CO-EXIST HARMONIOUSLY AND RESPECT EACH OTHER'S SOCIAL SYSTEMS, LIFE-STYLES AND VALUE SYSTEMS. HE CALLED ON THE TWO TERRITORIES TO STRIVE FOR COMMON GROUNDS WITHIN ONE COUNTRY AND ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENCES UNDER TWO SYSTEMS. HE SAID THAT THE FACT THAT THE TWO SIDES HAD TO SHARE THEIR PROSPERITY AND FAILURE HAD ALREADY MEANT THAT THE FUTURE SAR WOULD DEFINITELY ACHIEVE THE GRAND OBJECTIVE OF 'A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY' AND 'HONG KONG PEOPLE RUNNING HONG KONG'. HE REITERATED THAT THE STATE COUNCIL'S HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE WOULD, AS IN THE PAST, DO ITS UTMOST FOR THE TERRITORY. HE SAID THAT THE CHINESE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT MATTERS RELATED TO THE SAR GOVERNMENT'S FUTURE OBLIGATIONS AND DUTIES AS WELL AS A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997 BUT THAT THEY WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THE TERRITORY'S DAY-TO-DAY AFFAIRS BECAUSE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION, THESE SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BRITISH GOVERNMENT. HE GAVE AN ASSURANCE THAT PEKING OFFICIALS WOULD NOT RUN HONG KONG AFTER 1997 AND CALLED FOR MORE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CIVIL SERVANTS ON BOTH SIDES.
3 JI PENGFEI SAID (14.3 REPORTS) THAT HONG KONG'S UNIQUE AND IRREPLACEABLE VALUE WOULD BE INCREASINGLY EVIDENT AND THAT THE TERRITORY WOULD CONTINUE TO DEVELOP INTO A VIBRANT CITY IN THE NEXT CENTURY. HE SAID THAT AS HONG KONG HAD ENTERED THE SECOND HALF OF THE TRANSITION, IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR CHINA AND BRITAIN TO STRENGTHEN THEIR CORDIAL CO-OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP AND
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