TNAG-1156-FCO40-1436-Visits-by-FCO-Ministers-to-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 118

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Assessment and Summary of Press Reports on, and Reaction to, Visit to Hong Kong by the

Lord Privy Seal and Deputy Foreign Secretary, Mr. Humphrey Atkins (January 3, January 8.

to 10, 1982)

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Unlike other British ministers and Members of Parliament, the Lord Privy Seal and Deputy Foreign Secretary, Mr. Humphrey Atkins, who stopped over in Hong Kong on January 3 and was in the territory again between January 8 and 10, gained exceptionally

wide Press coverage. For ten days or so, the Lord Privy Seal remained in headlines of the local papers for the main ason that during his five-day China trip (January 4 to 8), he had discussed with Chinese leaders the question of Hong Kong's future, a topic which had a direct bearing on local residents and which had been causing much anxiety.

The two occasions which drew most atttention were Mr. Atkins's Press briefings in Beijing and in Hong Kong on January 6 and 10 respectively. In both cases, Mr. Atkins shed light on China's latest attitude towards the 1997 issue. Reports on his activities here rather paled into insignificance beside those on his meetings with leading Chinese figures, including Premier Mr. Zhao Ziyang and Vice Premier Mr. Ji Pengfei.

The public, mainly scholars, and the Press were quick to respond to Mr. Atkins's message that China realised that time was moving on and that something must be done. about the question of Hong Kong's future. In fact, so much weight was given to his remarks that they became a hot topic for discussion, drawing some 30 leading articles and commentaries in all. While the left-wing papers seized the opportunity to assure residents that they could well put their hearts at ease over the territory's prospects, other papers either said in wishful thinking that the problem could be resolved by September when the Prime Minister, Mrs. Thatcher, would visit Beijing, or expressed hopes that the matter would be settled at an early date without upsetting Hong Kong's status quo.

Although most papers preoccupied themselves solely with the question of 1997, two of them Sing Tao Jih Pao and the Star did pause and think hard on the purpose and value of Mr. Atkins's visit to the territory. Sing Tao, the first paper to link the Lord Privy Seal's Beijing trip with Hong Kong's future, said in an exclusive report on January 5 that a major mission of the UK visitor here was to ask the Government to amend the local immigration legislation to bring it into line with the new Nationality Act. Meanwhile, the Star, disappointed by the superficial and empty remarks made by UK visitors, contended cynically in an editorial column that Hong Kong people knew exactly what they wanted without having to wait "with bated breath for words of wisdom from London." It was high time that Unofficial Members in the Legislative and Executive Councils should be replaced by "official representatives of the people", the paper urged.

Press Reports

On December 31, many papers said in routine reports that the Lord Privy Seal, Mr. Humphrey Atkins, would visit Hong Kong in January during a Far Eastern tour which would include China, South Korea and Japan. Mr. Atkins would stop over in Hong Kong for one night on January 3 and would arrive again on January 8 for a three-day visit after a trip to China.