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MKK04012 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 - 7 JUN 1983
DESK OF CE❤
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY
Taken
FM HONG KONG 180740Z MAY 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 698 OF 18 MAY
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.
THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (SCMP) ON 18 MAY PUBLISHED A FRONT-PAGE SOTRY UNDER THE HEADLINE UK SOFTENING ON SOVEREIGNTY''. THE ARTICLE, WHICH IS CONFUSED AND BADLY WRITTEN, QUOTES AS ITS SOURCE A HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL ARTICLE WHICH HAD SUGGESTED THAT A LETTER HAD BEEN SENT TO PRIME MINISTER ZHAO ZIYANG SAYING THAT BRITAIN WOULD NOT OBJECT TO CHINA'S ENTERING NEGOTIATIONS ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE WITH THE ATTITUDE OF CLAIMING SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE TERRITORY''. THIS APPEARS TO BE A REFERENCE TO THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL/WIDE ANGLE/ MING PAD EVENING NEWS STORY REPORTED IN OUR TELS NOS 681 AND 690, TO WHICH THE SCMP HAS REACTED RATHER BELATEDLY (THE SCMP ON 17 MAY HAD PICKED UP THE MING PAO EDITORIAL CRITICIZING ITS SISTER PAPER FOR INDULGING IN RUMOUR MONGERING). THE SCMP ALSO QUOTES AN UNNAMED OBSERVER AS SAYING THAT IT SEEMED STRANGE FOR THE FCO TO HAVE SENT A LETTER TO THE CHINESE PRIME MINISTER AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE NORMAL FOR SUCH A LETTER TO HAVE COME FROM SOMEONE OF EQUAL STATUS.
2. THE HONG KONG STANDARD ON 18 MAY REPORTED MEMBERS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL DELEGATION WHICH RECENTLY VISITED PEKING (MY TELS NOS 676 AND 688) AS HAVING AGAIN SAID THAT LIAO CHENGZHI HAD DECLINED AN INVITATION TO VISIT HONG KONG. 3. THE IMPENDING DEPARTURE OF NCNA FIRST DIRECTOR, WANG KUANG, IS NOW WIDELY REPORTED IN THE LOCAL PRESS EVEN THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN NO OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT, BECAUSE INVITATIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ISSUED TO LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG TO ATTEND A FAREWELL RECEPTION BEING GIVEN BY NCNA FOR HIM ON 26 MAY.
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