TNAG-1248-FCO40-1562-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 57

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FM HONG KONG 270445Z JUL 83

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1882 OF 27 JULY 1983

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON AND PEKING

AND INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, GENEVA AND BRUSSELS

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE

1. THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN PEKING AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE PRESENT

ROUND OF TALKS WAS FRONT PAGE NEWS IN ALL PAPERS ON 27 JULY. ALL PAPERS REPORTED THAT THE NEXT ROUND WILL TAKE PLACE ON 2/3 AUGUST AFTER WHICH THERE WOULD BE A RECESS. THE EMBASSY SPOKESMAN'S REMARKS ABOUT SIR P CRADOCK'S AND THE GOVERNOR'S VISITS TO LONDON FOR CONSULTATION WITH MINISTERS WERE ALSO WIDELY REPORTED.

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2. A NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS HAVE PICKED UP THE STORY ABOUT A CHINESE DEPUTY GOVERNOR IN THE HONG KONG STANDARD OF 26 JULY (MY TELNO 400). THE COMMUNIST PRESS HAVE NOT

(NOT) REACTED TO THIS STORY. A NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT CHINESE LAN- GUAGE NEWSPAPERS ALSO NOTED THAT IN THE PEKING PRESS COVERAGE OF

THE TALKS THE GOVERNOR WAS REFERRED TO AS QUOTE THE BRITISH GOVERNOR

OF HONG KONG UNQUOTE.

3. THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST OF 27 JULY CARRIED AN ACCOUNT OF A

VISIT TO PEKING BY A DELEGATION FROM THE HONG KONG FEDERATION OF

STUDENTS. THE LEADER OF THE DELEGATION IS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT

THEY MET AN (UNNAMED) CHINESE OFFICIAL FROM A UNIT DEALING WITH

HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS. THE CHINESE OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY

SAID THAT CHINA HAD REJECTED ANY IDEA OF AN EXTENSION OF THE LEASE

OR THAT HONG KONG MIGHT BE PUT UNDER A QUOTE MANDATE UNQUBTE. THE

OFFICIAL ALSO REPORTEDLY SAID THAT CHINA WOULD NOT RECOVER SOV- EREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG BEFORE 1997. THE STUDENTS PUT FORWARD THEIR

OWN PROPOSAL ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE, PROVIDING FOR DEMOCRACY AND SELF GOVERNMENT, WITH AN INDEPENDENT LEGAL SYSTEM, USING THE

BRITISH SYSTEM QUOTE ONLY FOR REFERENCE UNQUOTE.

4. EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE TALKS HAS REMAINED GENERALLY FAVOURABLE.

SOME NEWSPAPERS HAVE SOUGHT TO ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO THE FACT THAT

ON THIS OCCASION THE TALKS WERE DESCRIBED ONLY AS QUOTE USEFUL

UNQUOTE AND NOT QUOTE USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE UNQUOTE AS ON 12/13

JULY. THE MING PAO (INDEPENDENT) SAID THAT THE CONTINUING VEIL OF

SECRECY SUGGESTED THAT NO SUBSTANTIVE PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE,

BECAUSE IF THERE HAD BEEN PROGRESS THIS WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY HAVE BEEN

ANNOUNCED OR LEAKED IN ORDER TO BOOST CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG.

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