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FM HONG KONG 120740Z APR 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 493 OF 12 APRIL
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
36 266
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS CONFERENCE BY MR ROLAND MOYLE, MP.
MR ROLAND MOYLE, M.P., GAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE ON 9 APRIL BEFORE
HIS DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG. HIS REMARKS WERE GIVEN WIDESPREAD
AND PROMINENT COVERAGE BOTH IN THE ENGLISH AND CHINESE LANGUAGE
PRESS. (TRANSCRIPT OF FRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWS BY BAG TO HKGD).
THE MAIN POINTS MADE BY MR MOYLE ON THE FUTURE WERE AS FOLLOWS:
A) CHINA WAS SINCERE IN ITS INTENTION TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S
PROSPERITY AND STABILITY.
B) THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN COULD BE RECONCILED.
C) THE PRIME MINISTER HAD DWELT TOO MUCH ON THE VALIDITY OF THE
TREATIES. THE EMPHASIS IN FUTURE, SHOULD BE ON HONG KONG'S
ECONOMIC VALUE TO CHINA.
D) CHINESE LEADERS HAD LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT MADE HONG
KONG WORK.
+KK040/2
YND. 51
14 APR 1983
E) THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS INSISTENT THAT SOVEREIGNTYWASJA
NON-NEGOTIABLE,
F) CHINA'S SELF-RULE PROPOSITIONS DID NOT NECESSARILY ME
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT.
INDE
2. THERE HAVE SO FAR BEEN ONLY TWO EDITORIAL COMMENTS. IHE
COMMUNIST TA KUNG PAO DESCRIBED MR MOYLE'S APPROACH AS PRAGMATIC
AND SENSIBLE AND SAID THAT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SINO-BRITISH
RELATIONS WOULD ONLY BE POSSIBLE IF THERE WAS AN EARLY SOLUTION
TO THE 1997 PROBLEM. THE FINANCIAL DAILY (INDEPENDENT) DREW
ATTENTION TO MR MOYLE'S POSITION AS DEPUTY SPOKESMAN ON FOREIGN
AFFAIRS FOR THE LABOUR PARTY AND SAID THAT HIS REMARKS SHOULD
CARRY WEIGHT. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT POINT IN MR MOYLE'S REMARKS
WAS THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLOSE ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN
BRITAIN AND CHINA SHOULD ENABLE DISPUTES OVER POLITICS, SOVEREIGNTY
AND THE TREATIES GOVERNING HONG KONG TO BE FORGOTTEN. THIS WOULD
PUT DIPLOMATIC TALKS ON THE RIGHT TRACK FOR A COMPROMISE SOLUTION. YOUDE
FUTURE OF HONG KÒNG
MEMEKNE
HD/HKGD
HD/FED
ED/PLANNING STAFF ED/PUSD PS
PS/MR HURD
PS/LORD BELSTEAD PS/PUS
SIR J BULLARD
MR GIFFARD
MR DONALD
COPIES TO
SIR I SINCLAIR LEGAL ADVISER MR BURROWS LEGAL ADVISERS
MR ROBERTS
NEWS D
MR MARTIN
ASSESSMENTS STAFF
CABINET OFFICE
MR FLOWER PUSD
MR COLES
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