布政司署
香港下亞厘
下亞厘畢道
*** OUR REF.: SCR 1/4731/49
* YOUR REF.:
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 020/1
89
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
10 August, 1978
Pilit we
RACZIVED IN KEUISTY NO. 51 18 AUG 1978
Ree
with
fu
40746
R/C Samuel Esq
Far Eastern Department
DESK OFFICER
RE
INDER
1AC
FIC O
eas
Ruckerd
THE NEW DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA AND CHINESE POLICY TOWARDS HONG KONG
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22/vi
The latest (August) issue of a local pro-Communist journal, Cheng Ming, has as its lead item an article entitled: "Wang K'uang's coming south and the prospects for Hong Kong". I will send a full translation by the next bag.
Meanwhile I am enclosing copies of the Chinese text for you, Peking and Research Department only.
2.
The article notes that Wang K'uang, the new First Director of the local NCNA, is a very senior official.
It uses this as a basis for examining the significance of his arrival for the future of Hong Kong. The general theme is that Wang's arrival signifies a heightening of the importance attached by China to Hong Kong and an increase in Chinese activities here. The article also emphasises that the arrival of a man of Wang's stature implies that China will be in no hurry to take back Hong Kong.
3.
The best way of giving you a quick view of the tone of the article and of its key passages is to provide you with some selected gobbets:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
University students visiting the Cheng Ming offices are quoted (with obvious approval) as saying that the appointment of a senior official like Wang means that "taking back Hong Kong is very far from being on the Chinese Communist agenda".
After quoting the Chief of Defence Staff's now famous comment about enemies at the door, the article points to the importance of relations between Britain and China and says that "Hong Kong will take on the role of a link in the development of relations between the two countries".
The article refers back to Liao Ch'eng-chih's cryptic comments about the Lease to a delegation from Hong Kong last year (see para. 1(iv) of my
CONFIDENTIAL/conta.
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