TNAG-1241-FCO40-1554-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 89

Mr Morris

Mr Clift

CONFIDENTIAL

бале квасит

sanimere

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FUTURE OF HONG KONG: INFORMATION WORK

1..

Reference

HKK040/

RECEIVED IN REGISTA

1 SEP 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

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REGISTRY Action Taken

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Dr Hase rang this morning. I asked him to keep us informed. of all opinion polls carried out in Hong Kong on the subject of the Future. He will send us what they have on the recent IKU poll, but I suspect it is no more than we have already seen in the Part II EXCO papers.

2.

(a)

(b)

Dr Hase had the following points:

11 MPs (all Conservative) will be in Hong Kong in the week or so before the next round of talks in Peking. All of them will be encouraged to meet the press. There will therefore be a great deal about them in the Hong Kong papers, which may provoke the left-wing press into aggressive comments of the typ made after Messrs Dormand and Callaghan's press conference last week;

There is increasing pressure from the SCMP and friendly'' Chinese papers for the IIKG to relax their policy of silence. They are no longer prepared to criticise the Chinese proposals editionally and to defend HMG and/or HKG against attacks on the left-wing press unless they get a positive lead from the Government, by which they mean official statements by senior figures. Thus, they have not refuted left-wing comments on the Mori poll on poverty in the UK or attacks on the UK

egal system.

(Comment: If even the SCMP is taking this line, it certainly reinforces the need for a rethink on our policy, as we are considering).

(c) There will be quite a lot of overlap between the programme

organised by HKG for Mr Colvin and that for Mr Luce, eg both will have drinks with the Urban Council and meet the Observers. (I don't see how we can avoid this, as it is important for Mr Luce to see these people briefly. Mr Colvin may have more time to spend with them).

3. Dr Hase will continue to ring up on Tuesday and during my leave. Miss Walker can take the calls, but perhaps it would be better if Mr Morris was free to talk to him?

31 August 1983

CONFIDENTIAL

RJ F Hoare