TNAG-1166-FCO40-1446-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 13

() MON

R JT McLaren Esq CMG

I A

ONG KONG

Dear Robin

SECRET

FUTURE OF BONG KONG APP REPORT

Enter with cors refces

& buch to me.

شمال

15/2

British Embassy PEKING

2 February 1982

45 A

HKK 040/1

See (5.0.

GIA

flm 3/1

102

((7.

attached

You will have seen our telno 44 of 19 January to FCO about the Reuters article in the BCMP of 16 January. Subsequently we noticed an AFF report in the SCMP of 20 January, which was in a number of respects more interesting than Reuters'. enclose a copy for your ease of reference.

I

2. AFF told me that the unnamed officials was, again, Zhong Xidong, but not on the same occasion as that reported by Reuters. 3hong seems to be in the process of giving lunch to all the resident foreign journalists: the British and Germans took the first shift, and the French and Italiens were

next.

3. According to AFF, Zhong said exactly what was printed in the SCMP article, most interestingly that Chins hoped to resolve the problem of Hong Kong's future so as to ensure a continued British presence while not jeopardising China' own sovereignty.

4.

I found paragraph 4 of the article rather ominous, sug- gusting as it does that Chine would make up its mind what to do

bout Hong Kong before negotiating the matter. The AFP correspondent confirmed that that was indeed the way Zhong had said it, but he seemed to interpret the statement as no more than a typical Chinese oxymoron. Let us hope he is 'right.

5.

a

It is of some interest that Zhong Xidong, Vice Minister: of many years standing who was unnoticed by diplomats and

should journalists here until a press conference last autumn, suddenly have burst into song about Hong Kong. It is difficult to judge what weight to give his statements, but the AFP man seemed confident that Zhong had not strayed from whatever

/guidelines

SECRET