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LONGER HAD RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TERRITORY.
15. PRESS COMMENTS ON MR MAJOR'S VISIT IN HONG KONG WERE UNUSUALLY FAVOURABLE, WITH MANY PRAISING HIM FOR HIS EFFORTS LEADING TO THE RELEASE OF HONG KONG BUSINESSMAN LAW HOI-SING AND FOR ATTACHING GREAT IMPORTANCE TO HONG KONG ISSUES. HOWEVER, THERE WERE SOME WHO SAID THAT MR MAJOR HAD NOT PROVIDED ANY CONCRETE SOLUTION TO HONG KONG'S VIETNAMESE BOAT PROBLEM NOR HAD HE MADE ANY FIRM COMMITMENT TO ACCELERATE THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG.
ASSESSMENT
16. SET AGAINST RELATIVELY LOW PUBLIC AND MEDIA EXPECTATIONS, REACTIONS TO THE VISIT HAVE BEEN VERY POSITIVE. HONG KONG PEOPLE HAVE CLEARLY BEEN VERY PLEASED THAT THE PRIME MINISTER MADE THE DIFFICULT VISIT TO CHINA IN ORDER TO BENEFIT HONG KONG. THE SIGNATURE OF THE AIRPORT AGREEMENT WAS THE MAJOR PRIZE. BUT THE AGREEMENT TO SPEED UP JLG WORK, THE AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE ON THE CFA, AND THE RELEASE OF LUO HAIXING HAVE ALL BEEN WARMLY WELCOMED. FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE, THE HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE WAS SECONDARY: THERE IS THUS A CLEAR CONTRAST
WITH THE WAY IN WHICH THE RUN-UP TO THE VISIT TO CHINA AND THE VISIT
ITSELF HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH IN THE UK MEDIA.
17. THE HONG KONG MEDIA HAVE PORTRAYED BOTH THE VISIT TO PEKING AND
THE ONE HERE AS A CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS. WE ARE SENDING SEPARATELY BY
FAX THE KEY ARTICLES IN THE HONG KONG ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPERS.
WILSON
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION
78
ΜΑΙΝ
76
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO
PROTOCOL D
(CHINA AND HONG KONG)
RAD
LIMITED
FED
PUSD
HKD
PS
PS/LORD CAITHNESS
NEWS D
PLANNERS
PS/PUS
SIR J COLES
MR BURNS
ADDITIONAL
PS/PM
NNNN
2
SIR P CRADOCK NO. 10
4
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