TNAG-1246-FCO40-1560-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 108

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committed by children of senior cadres. The Chinese leadership was also not satisfied that no progress was made in united front activities in HK. This indicated that the chiefs here were inefficient and had made wrong assessments. The re-posting of Mr. Wang was prompted by the fact that he had said something wrong when he met economists in a restaurant last

Mr. Wang said he hoped there would be someone like the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, to administer HK under the "self-rule" proposal.

A Wen Wei Po columnist said rumours about Mr. Ke's posting to HK were fabricated by news manufacturers with ulterior motives as a status enhancement gimmick. The so-called "inside stories" were based only on hearsay and background information. He said, too, that on the 1997 issue alone, no fewer than 20 options had been suggested.

9.

LEFT-WING PRESS ACTIVE:

The left-wing press was very active during the week explaining how China had helped Hong Kong to maintain its stability and prosperity and to allay jitters over the self- rule option. On 6 January left-wing papers gave extensive coverage to a speech by the vice-chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Yip Yek-lam, who said HK was highly dependent on China for food supplies. Statistics showed that in 1981, 99 per cent of HK's import of cattle and swine came from China. Fresh water fish from China accounted for 65 per cent and vegetables 50 per cent of the imports. Ta Kung Pao said editorially, while the supplies showed that HK was dependent on China, it also demonstrated that China did care about HK. It backed up its second point by citing the following arrangements: water supply from China to relieve HK's drought; petroleum supply to help defuse the oil crisis; increased food supply after a typhoon hit HK; and aid from other provincial and municipal authorities to ensure continued food supply to HK after Guangdong was hit by a rainstorm in 1981. It claimed that China's support was inseparable from HK's stability and prosperity. The paper also reprinted a speech by a Polytechnic lecturer, Mr. Cheung Sze-sun, at an automation exhibition in Guangzhou which said China had all along been giving HK great support, including supplies of water, food and other commodities and had been playing an important role in maintaining HK's prosperity.

The following day, Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao published a feature article on the latest developments of the South China Sea oil exploration project emphasising the role that HK would play. It said the China Ocean Oilfield Services HK Ltd., which was set up last July, provided logistics services to oil exploration in various area, including consultancy, training, recruitment, procurement, transport and accommodation. A site was being located in Shenzhen to start a training school, tutors of which might be recruited in HK. The firm will recruit professionals in HK on behalf of some multi-national oil firms taking part in the project. It would also be responsible for organising transport, accommodation and recreation for staff working on the project. Ta Kung said China had recognised HK's special role in the project and would make use of it. The project would give HK's economy a new impetus in the next three to five years.

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