TNAG-1235-FCO40-1548-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 90

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FM HONG KONG 010140Z FEB 83

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 163 OF 1 FEBRUARY

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING

FUTURE OF HONG KONG : PRESS COVERAGE.

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THE TWO PRINCIPAL COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS, TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO, GAVE FRONT PAGE COVERAGE ON 29 JANUARY TO A CHINA NEWS SERVICE

''CONTEMPORARY DESPATCH REPORTING AN ARTICLE IN A PEKING MAGAZINE, HISTORICAL RESEARCH PUBLISHED BY THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES. ACCORDING TO THE CNS DESPATCH, THE ARTICLE REVIEWED THE HISTORY OF THE THREE UNEQUAL'', SAYING THAT THEY WERE THE CRIMINAL RECORD OF BRITAIN'S BARBAROUS INVASION OF CHINA AND A TESTIMONY TO THE OPPRESSION AND THE HUMILIATION WHICH THE CHINESE PEOPLE HAD SUFFERED. THE CHINESE PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE COMPATRIOTS IN HONG KONG, HAD PUT UP A CONTINUOUS STRUGGLE AGAINST BRITISH OCCUPATION OF HONG KONG. IT WOULD DO BRITAIN NO GOOD TO ''BLACKMAIL'' CHINA WITH ITS FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS FROM HONG KONG NOR TO DISTORT INTERNATIONAL LAW BY DEFENDING UNEQUAL TREATIES. IT WAS THE COMMON WISH AND LEGITIMATE RIGHT OF ONE BILLION PEOPLE IN CHINA TO RECOVER

HONG KONG.

>

2. THE TA KUNG PAO AND THE WEN WEI PO, AS WELL AS THE NUMBER THREE COMMUNIST NEWSPAPER, THE NEW EVENING POST, ALL PUBLISHED EDITORIALS OR COMMENTARIES OVER THE WEEKEND REFERRING TO THIS ARTICLE AND ECHOING ITS GENERAL TONE. THE WEN WEI PO SAID THAT FEW ''COMPATRIOTS'' IN HONG KONG DISPUTED CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY AND THAT EFFORTS TO PRODUCE A DEAL FAVOURABLE TO BRITAIN BY ''SLY BARGAINING' OVER THE VALUE OF HONG KONG TO CHINA IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE TERMS WOULD BE FUTILE. THE EDITORIAL CALLED ON BRITAIN TO SET ASIDE ARGUMENTS BASED ON THE VALIDITY OF THE TREATIES, PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG OR FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS AND DISCUSS MATTERS SINCERELY ROUND THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. THE TA KUNG PAO COMMENTARY WAS LARGELY DEVOTED TO REPETITION OF THE

ARTICLE'S ARGUMENTS, AND ALSO REFERRED TO A PREVIOUS ARTICLE IN HKK040/1

''WORLD KNOWLEDGE'' LAST AUGUST (HONG KONG TELNO 849 OF 1982) 509

THE NEW EVENING POST'S EDITORIAL SUGGESTED THAT THE REPORTS OF THE ARTICLE IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL RESEARCH MIGHT HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY RELEASED TO COINCIDE WITH THE GOVERNOR'S RETURN TO HONG KONG.

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