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GAVE EXPLICIT APPROVAL TO THE POLICY OF PROVIDING SUPPLIES
TO HONG KONG AND MACAO. WE SEE THIS SERIES OF COMMENTS, AND THE PROMINENCE GIVEN TO THEM BY THE LOCAL COMMUNIST PRESS AS PART OF A DELIBERATE EFFORT BY PEKING TO ALLAY INVESTORS'
FEARS ABOUT THE LONGER TERM FUTURE OF HONG KONG. IN MAKING THEM
HOWEVER THE CHINESE LEADERS CONCERNED HAVE NOT DEPARTED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE STANDARD CHINESE LINE ON HONG KONG, 1.E THAT IT IS CHINESE TERRITORY, THE STATUS OF WHICH SHOULD BE SETTLED BY NEGOTIATION AT SOME UNSPECIFIED FUTURE DATE WHEN
**CONDITIONS ARE RIPE'' AND AFTER THE QUESTION OF TAIWAN HAS
BEEN RESOLVED.
4. THE NEW POLICY OF PRESENTING NEWS IN A LESS OBVIOUSLY
PROPAGANDIST FORM HAS ENABLED THE COMMUNIST PAPERS TO INCREASE
THEIR DAILY CIRCULATION MARGINALLY TO ABOUT THIRTEEN PERCENT
OF THE OVERALL DAILY NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION IN HONG KONG AND
THEREBY REDUCE THEIR DEPENDENCE ON SUBSIDIES.
5. THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNITED FRONT ACTIVITIES HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY
STRESSED IN THE COMMUNIST PAPERS AS A KEY TASK. THE CONTINUED
PROMOTION OF CHINA'S POLITICAL INTERESTS BY PRO-COMMUNIST
ACTIVISTS THROUGH INTERNATIONALLY CONSTITUTED FOOTBALL AND
BADMINTON ASSOCIATIONS ILLUSTRATES THE SUCCESS OF COMMUNIST
UNITED FRONT WORK.
ECONOMY AND LABOUR
6. THE BRUSSELS TEXTILES NEGOTIATIONS HAVE CONTINUED TO BE THE
MAIN SUBJECT OF INTEREST. THE COMMUNIST PRESS HAS HANDLED THE
MATTER FACTUALLY, BUT HAS IMPLIED SUPPORT FOR THE POSITION
TAKEN BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT: A COMMUNIST UNION HAS JOINED
IN PUBLIC ANXIETY AS EXPRESSED IN THE MEDIA ABOUT THE OUTCOME
OF THE NEGOTIATIONS.
EDUCATION
7. ONE HUNDRED LOCAL STUDENTS HAVE REGISTERED FOR THE ENTRANCE
EXAMINATIONS TO UNIVERSITIES IN CHINA WHICH WILL BE HELD BETWEEN
DECEMBER 11 AND 13 IN SHUM CHUN. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME
SINCE THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION THAT HONG KONG STUDENTS HAVE HAD
AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO UNIVERSITITES IN CHINA.
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