TNAG-1247-FCO40-1561-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 14

RR

RR

NEW YORK

BRUSSELS

RR GENEVA

GPS 200

VANCED

W88)

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG 140930Z JUN 83 (CORRECTED VERSION)

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 801 OF 14 JUNE 1983

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BRUSSELS AND GENEVA

#FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE

1. ON 11 JUNE (THE FIRST DAY OF THE HOLIDAY WEEK-END) ALL PAPERS

GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE OF THE DEATH ON 10 JUNE OF POLITBURO

MEMBER AND OVERSEAS CHINESE AFFAIRS DIRECTOR LIAO CHENGZHI.

THE NEWS WAS THE LEAD ITEM IN THE COMMUNIST PRESS WHICH CARRIED

LENGTHY OBITUARIES. MOST INDEPENDENT PAPERS PRINTED ASSESSMENTS

OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS, AND OF HIS ROLE IN FORMULATING CHINA'S

POLICY TOWARDS HONG KONG AND MACAU. WHILE THERE WERE DIFFERING

OPINIONS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HIS CONTRIBUTION, THERE WAS GENERAL

AGREEMENT THAT HIS DEATH WOULD NOT AFFECT CHINA'S STANCE ON THE

1997 QUESTION. SEVERAL INDEPENDENT PAPERS SPECULATED THAT LIAO'S

* FUNCTIONS IN RELATION TO HONG KONG WOULD BE ASSUMED BY NPC

VICE-CHAIRMAN XI ZHONGXUN.

2. THE MAJOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS (TA KUNG PAO, WEN WEI PO AND

NEW EVENING POST) ALL GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE TO AND COMMENTED

ON A STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE STUDENTS UNION OF THE CHINESE

UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. THE STATEMENT TOOK ISSUE WITH THE VIEWS

EXPRESSED IN THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS' MEMORANDUM (MY TELNO 784),

INSISTING THAT SELF-RULE WAS PRACTICABLE THROUGH DEMOCRATISATION

AND THE PARTICIPATION OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS. IT ADDED THAT SINCE

THE SELF-RULE PROPOSAL WAS STILL IN AN EMBRYONIC STAGE, THERE

WAS PLENTY OF TIME AND SCOPE FOR PEOPLE TO DEBATE AND IMPROVE

ON THE FORMULATION.

YOUDE

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