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FM HONG KONG 170748Z DECEMBER 82
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1482 OF 17 DECEMBER
INFO PEKING HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
LORD BELSTEAD'S VISIT
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THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF PRESS REACTION TO LORD
BELSTEAD'S VISIT:
LORD BELSTEAD'S PRESS CONFERENCE WAS PROMINENTLY COVERED BY THE MEDIA. INDEPENDENT AND RIGHT-WING PAPERS GAVE A FACTUAL ACCOUNT. MANY LED WITH THE ANALOGY OF THE THREE-LEGGED TABLE. THE EXPRESS AND THE HONG KONG DAILY NEWS PUBLISHED THE FULL TRANSCRIPT. TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PAO PLAYED UP THE MINISTER'S POINT THAT A SOLUTION COULD BE FOUND TO THE SATISFACTION OF BRTAIN, CHINA AND HONG KONG. WEN WEI DID NOT MENTION HIS CALL TO THE PUBLIC NOT TO BE PREJUDICED BY ANYTHING OUTSIDE THE TALKS OR THAT IN HIS VIEW PEOLE HERE WANTED PEACE, FREEDOM AND CONTINUITY: TA KUNG BURIED THESE TWO POINTS AT THE END OF ITS REPORT. THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS WAS ON ITS OWN IN REPORTING THAT THE TALKS HAD BEEN BOGGED DOWN BY TECHNICAL PROBLEMS ABOUT A MONTH PREVIOUSLY. SINCE THEN, THE NEGOTIATIONS WERE STALEMATED. QUOTING UNNAMED SOURCES, THE PAPER SAID THE TWO SIDES WERE TRYING TO RESUME THE TALKS AND THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, WAS EXPECTED TO TAKE PART ONCE THE NEGOTIATIONS RE-OPENED.
LORD BELSTEAD'S VISIT DREW FAVOURABLE PRESS REACTION. ON HIS ARRIVAL, THREE PAPERS, THE EXPRESS, THE HONG KONG DAILY NEWS AND THE HONG KONG TIMES, SAY THE FIVE-DAY VISIT AS A MOVE TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONS AND HOPED THE MINISTER WOULD CANVASS PUBLIC OPINION ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE SO THAT HE COULD ACCURATELY REFLECT THE WISHES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. HIS PRESS CONFERENCE ALSO DREW POSITIVE COMMENTS. THE EXPRESS AND FINANCIAL DAILY DESCRIBED HIS STATEMENT AS OBJECTIVE AND RELEVANT. THE TWO PAPERS, TOGETHER WITH THE HONG KONG TIMES, SAID LORD BELSTEAD HAD HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD BY SAYING THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE HERE WANTED FREEDOM, PEACE AND CONTINUITY. MING PAO SAID HE HAD REITERATED BRTAIN'S STAND TACTFULLY. PEOPLE SHOULD CAREFULLY READ HIS STATEMENT IF THEY WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE TALKS AND HONG KONG'S PROSPECTS. IT HEADLINED THE REFERENCE TO RESIDENTS' WISH
A
FOR THE BRITISH TO STAY. THESE PAPERS ALSO SPOKE HIGHLY
OF HIS ANALOGY OF A TABLE WITH THREE LEGS REFERRING TO A SOLUTION ACCEPTABLE TO BRITAIN, CHINA AND HONG KONG, AND HIS CALL
ON THE PUBLIC NOTTO BE PREJUDICED BY ANYTHING THEY HEARD OUTSIDE THE TALKS. THE MING PAO EDITORIAL ON 12 DECEMBER SAID THAT WHILE BEIJING COULD DECIDE UNILATERALLY ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE, /AS
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