CONFIDENTIAL
Media Summary on Hong Kong's Future
Period: January 11 – 17, 1983
INTRODUCTION:
The week covered by this summary has probably been the most varied since the series started. Besides several speeches about HK's future in the Urban Council annual debate, there was the visit of the Heung Yee Kuk-led delegation of NT community leaders to Beijing which generated a considerable amount of 'news'; the vice-chairman of the Anglo-Hong Kong Parliamentary Group, Mr. Ian Wrigglesworth, gave a press conference which stirred up the left-wing papers; the NT General Chamber of Commerce announced it was dropping its opinion survey; the British Secretary of State for Industry visited HK; the Far Eastern Economic Review cover feature, "Hong Kong's future: putting it together", covered 13 pages; and there was even an article about HK in an obscure British magazine, "Conflict Issues", written by a former member of the staff of Government Information Services.
A development of significance was the way the left-wing press immediately reacted to any statement with which it did not agree: last week, there was a rapid riposte from the New Evening Post to a leader in the SCMP about freedom; the same paper also jumped in quickly to pour scorn on the remark of the Urbco chairman, Mr. Hilton Cheong-leen, that the three-legged arrangement should be allowed to continue for another 30 years at least; and all the leading left-wing papers criticised Mr. Wrigglesworth's comment about self-rule not working.
Also during the week, it was announced that the American Secretary of State, Mr. George Schultz, would visit next month and he was expected to meet the Governor.
Various optimistic views about HK's future were put forward by Mr. Jimmy McGregor, Mr. Derek Davies and Mr. Kent Price, as well as by a number of independent
papers.
From Tanzania, Premier Zhao Ziyang was reported saying at a press conference_that HK was an inseparable part of China and a series of measures would be taken to maintain the territory's prosperity on reversion of sovereignty.
ITEMS:
NT DELEGATION IN CHINA:
Airport plan: Extensive coverage was given to the activities of the NT delegation in China. The group, headed by Heung Yee Kuk chairman, Mr. Lau Wong-fat, first held a meeting with the Director of Civil Aviation Administration of China, Mr. Shen Tu, on 11 January. The delegation proposed that an airport be built at Deep Bay under a joint venture between China and Britain to help maintain HK's prosperity and stability. A number of papers quoted a group member, Mr. Chan Yat-sun, saying the Foreign Minister, Lord Belstead, told the Heung Yee Kuk during his recent visit that Britain would put forward the proposal to China when conditions were ripe. Sing Tao Jih Pao said on its front page that
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