TNAG-1038-FCO40-1288-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1981 — Page 86

PEKING TL 603

HK GD/FCO

RS 630

CONFIDENTIAL

TELELETTER

My Clift or

2215.

FROM: RN PEIRCE, PEKING

15 MAY 1981

1 8 MAY 1981

63

34

_copied weds

1. CRED Hom

2. ky!

fi

Z Jrichiam.

Mr Withanson OR.

Ref to ma

аккoнoll

FOLLOWING FOR P WILLIAMSON, HKGD, FOO RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

(OTP) HONG KONG TELNO 165: POEM ON HONG KONG

20 MAY 1981

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

1. AI QING'S POEM IN THE PEOPLE'S DAILY OF 28 MARCH BEGINS WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE TALL BUILDINGS AND CROWDS OF HONG KONG AND OF THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF LIFE IN THA ETZARRE’ CITY. IT MENTIONS THOSE WHO SNEAK OR SWIM INTO HONG KONG IN PURSUIT OF MONEY AND CRITICISES THE CORRUPTION THAT GOES WITH COMPETITION AND SPECULATION. IT ATTACKS DECADENCE, SOCIAL INEQUALITIES AND THE ENDLESS PURSUIT OF INDIVIDUAL WEALTH. HOWEVER, THE POEM FINISHES WITH WORDS OF PRAISE FOR HONG KONG AS A GATEWAY TO CHINA, AS A CHANNEL FOR CHINA'S IMPORTS AND EXPORTS, AND FOR CREATING INESTIMABLE WEALTH FOR THE MOTHERLAND.

2. AI QING IS A SENIOR ''ESTABLISHMENT'' POET. WE CAN ASSUME THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE PUBLISHED A POEM ON SUCH A SENSITIVE SUBJECT WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS, AND THAT THE TIMING WAS SIGNIFICANT.

3. THE NEW MONTHLY POLITICAL MAGAZINE ''

"LIAO WANG'' ALSO CARRIED IN ITS FIRST EDITION (APRIL) THE FIRST ARTICLE IN A SERIES ENTITLED HONG KONG TODAY. THE ARTICLE BEGINS WITH A FACTUAL DESCRIPTION OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMY BUT THEN LAUNCHES INTO THE EVILS OF ''OUT-AND-OUT CAPITALISM'' CRIME, PORNOGRAPHY, SOCIAL INEQUALITIES ETC - AND CLAIMS THAT HONG KONG HAS SOME 400,000 PEOPLE WITH MENTAL PROBLEMS. AMONG THESE UNFORTUNATES ARE SAID TO BE RUINED SPECULATORS, PEOPLE DESTROYED BY COMPETITION AND GAMBLERS WHO HAVE LOST EVERYTHING. THE ARTICLE FINISHES BY SAYING THAT IN THE FREE PORT OF HONG KONG, ONE DOES INDEED HAVE THE FREEDOM TO MAKE MONEY, BUT ONE ALSO HAS THE FREEDOM TO BE UNEMPLOYED, OR BANKRUPTED, TO BE DOWN AND OUT, AND TO BE SHOT.

4. THE PURPOSE BEHIND THIS COVERAGE SEEMS TO US TO BE TWOFOLD. FIRST, THE CHINESE PROBABLY FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD EXPLAIN MORE FULLY THEIR VIEWS ON HONG KONG. OCCASIONAL STATEMENTS BY CHINESE LEADERS ON THE USEFULNESS OF HONG KONG AND ASSURANCES TO INVESTORS ARE NOT ENOUGH. CADRES AND OTHERS MUST BE WONDERING HOW THEY CAN BE COMMUNISTS ON THE ONE HAND AND WISH TO PRESERVE HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC SYSTEM ON THE OTHER. THESE ARTICLES CAN THUS PERFORM AN EDUCATIVE ROLE, DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE EVILS OF HONG KONG WHILE EXPLAINING ITS USEFULNESS. IT IS THIS SORT OF REASONING WHICH WAS PROBABLY BEHIND THE AI QING POEM, TIMED TO APPEAR JUST BEFORE LORD CARRINGTON'S VISIT DURING WHICH THE CHINESE KNEW THEY WOULD HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER STATEMENT ON HONG KONG.

5. SECONDLY, IT IS LIKELY THAT THE MESSAGE ABOUT THE EVILS OF CAPITALIST SOCIETY IS ALSO DIRECTED AT YOUNG CHINESE WHO COVET THE MATERIAL BENEFITS OF SUCH A SOCIETY. HONG KONG IS WIDELY SEEN BY YOUNG CHINESE AS AN EXAMPLE OF MATERIAL BENEFITS ARISING FROM A NON-SOCIALIST

SOCIETY. THIS IS DEEPLY DISTURBING TO THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP BECAUSE OF THE CONCLUSION WHICH IS OFTEN DRAWN, IE THAT THERE ARE BETTER ROADS TO MATERIAL PROSPERITY THAN SOCIALISM. THUS IT IS NECESSARY TO MAKE CLEAR THAT DESPITE ITS BOOMING ECONOMY, HONG KONG IS NOT A HEAVEN ON EARTH. CONVERSELY, DESPITE CHINA'S ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES, SHE IS RELATIVELY BETTER OFF IN OTHER WAYS. THIS IS CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN ON SPIRITUAL CIVILISATION.

6. COPY OF LIAOWANG ARTICLE TO FOLLOW BY BAG.

7. I AM COPYING THIS TELELETTER BY BAG TO APA, HONG KONG.

112

SIGNED

...

NNNN

RN PEIRCE.