05-MAR-1993
10:35
Date: 5 March 1993 Rptd: Asia Today
LS
720 (HR Dept)
Nigal Whitmery
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P.001/006
APA PELUND LUMINE, MIND }
Pages: 13 Log No.: OPRS/L/ 209
MEDIA SUMMARY
Media Research Sub-Division, Government Information Services
Friday, March 5. 1993
OVERVIEW
The activities of FS. including holding a press conference. attending a radio phone-in programme and meeting DB chairmen, were widely covered by the papers. So were reactions to his Budget. Also widely carried wera reports relating to the reopening of Sino-British talks, with the Oriental Daily News saying that China and Britain would make a joint statement today. The HK Economic Jemma) carried a letter by Elsie Tu to The Times criticising the Governof. HKS led with Sino-British talks while the Post reported on yesterday's record-high Hang Seng Index.
CHINESE MEDYA
BUDGET
ES: Mr Macleod's activities yesterday in promoting his Budget were widely covered by the media. Reports noted that he went on a live radio programme answering questions from the public, held a press conference and met chairmen of the 19 DBɛ. Mr Macleod was noted as saying that the net/ Budget would/fuel inflation, adding that the increase in expenditure was
because of non-recurrent items. By 1997 when the peak of the ACP was over, the Government would have interests from the Land Fund and retain the full revenue of land sales, and then it would be possible to have a balanced budget. He also explained that the deficit Budget was a way to spend part of the reserve balance which would be of no use sitting there. Referrring to comments from the Chinese side, Mr Macleod said that the Chinese side had said that the Budget was aimed at appeasing HK people, but a positive way of looking at it would be that the Budget met the expectation of Legco members and the general public.
Survey: Ming Pao carried results of a survey commissioned by the paper and conducted by the HK Polling and Business Centre on the evening the Budget was released. A total of 644 peeple aged above 18 were successfully interviewed. The average rating of the Budget was 63.7 points (full mark being 100). It was found that 41 per cent of the respondents were against to having a deficit budget, while about 33 per cent agreed to it. The United Daily News also noted that ƑKU's. Social Sciences Research Centre, in a survey held after the release of the
found/Budget, that 20 per cent of respondents said that they were now more
supportive of the Governor's Policy Address. Sixty per cent said they supported the Budget. The press report did not mention the sample size.
t
Chinese side: Commenting on the Budget, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Li Jianying, criticised it as spending too much money, Mr Li said that the Chinese Government had noted reports that there would be deficits in the Budget until 1997. He said that the Chinese Government hoped that HK Government would maintain a cautious, budgetary policy to ensure the economic prosperity of HK and a smooth transition.