TNAG-1248-FCO40-1562-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 28

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 1231 OF 18 AUGUST

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INFO PEKING (FOR HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVES) WASHINGTON NEW YORK BRUSSELS UKMIS GENEVA HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE

1. AN EDITORIAL IN TODAY'S TA KUNG PAO (COMMUNIST) ENGLISH LANGUAGE WEEKLY SUPPLEMENT CONTRASTED THE COMBINATION OF QUOTE PRINCIPLE AND FLEXIBILITY UNQUOTE HN HU YAOBANG'S STATEMENT WITH MRS THATCHER'S ASSERTION LAST SEPTEMBER THAT THE UNEQUAL TREATIES ARE VALID BUT COULD BE QUOTE VARMED UNQUOTE ONLY TO EXTEND BRATUISH RULE IN HONG KONG. AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE, QUOTE CHINA HAS TO RESUME SOVEREIGNTY AND END BRITISH RULE OVER HONG KONG NO LATER THAN 1 JULY 1997 UNQUOTE SAND THE EDITORIAL BUT HU YAOBAN HAS ALSO DESCRIBED CHINA'S FLEXIBILITY: QUOTE THE PRESENT NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAN ARE CONFINED TO THE WAYS OF PRESERVING HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY AND THE GRADUAL TRANSITION FROM NOW TO THE TIME OF RECOVERY (OF SOVEREIGNTY) UNQUOTE. WHILST HU'S RECENT STATEMENT HAD NOT APPRECIABLY DEPRESSED THE LOCAL STOCK MARKET, SAID THE EDITORIAL, MRS THATCHER'S STATEMENT ON THE UNEQUAL TREATHES PRODUCED A VIOLENT MARKET REACTION.

2. IN ITS CHINESE LANGUAGE EDITION, TA KUNG PAO ATTACKED YESTERDAY'S SCMP EDITORIAL (MY TELNO 1219) ON HU'S STATEMENT AS A PERSONAL AND DISRESPECTFUL ATTACK ON A CHINESE LEADER AND CHINESE POLICIES. THE SCMP'S CALL ON PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP ON THE ISSUE WAS A MOVE TO GENERATE HOSTILE FEELINGS WHICH WOULD DO

HONG KONG NO GOOD.

3. THE MING PAC EVENING NEWS (HINDEPENDENT) PREDICTED THAT CHINA WOULD STAND FIRM ON THE RESUMPTION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND ADMINISTAAT KON AND THAT BRITHAN WOULD BACK DOWN EVENTUALLY. THE PAPER INTERPRETED UMELCO MEMBERS CALL ON PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEIR WIEWS WAS AN OBVIOUS PLOY BY THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS TO PLAY THEIR QUOTE PUBLIC OPINION CARD UNQUOTE. HOWEVER, THIS WAS A USELESS MOVE WHICH COULD ONLY TRIGGER-OFF A COUNTER-BARRAGE FROM THE LEFT-WING PRESS AND CAUSE THE GENERAL PUBLIC MORE ANXIETY.

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