TNAG-1248-FCO40-1562-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 60

GPS 300

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FM HONG KONG 25394OZ JUL 83

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 397 OF 25 JULY 1983

INFO IMMEDIATE FCO

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE

TOP COPY

51KK040/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY KO.

2 5 JUL 1983

INDEX

REGISTE

Action Taken

(7)

CH2218

TI PERING.

1. ALL PAPERS REPORTED PROMINENTLY THE GOVERNOR'S

THERE HAS BEEN A FURTHER ROUND OF SPECULATION, BOTH IN THE REPORTS

AND IN A NUMBER OF EDITORIALS ABOUT THE CONTENT OF THE TALKS AND

ABOUT THE LIKELY PACE OF FURTHER DISCUSSION. MOST OF THIS SPECU-

LATION COVERS FAMILIAR GROUND.

2. AT LUNCH WITH THE DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES ON 25 JULY, THE NEWS DIRECTOR OF TV3 MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE KNEW THEREQWOULD

BE A THIRD ROUND OF TALKS IN EARLY AUGUST AND TVB'S CREW WOULD

REMAIN IN PEKING TO COVER IT. THE ORIENTAL DAILY HAS SUGGESTED THAT

THERE WAS LIKELY TO BE A RECESS TO LEAVE TIME FOR DIGESTING THE

RESULTS OF THE EARLY ROUNDS OF TALKS AND DREW ATTENTION TO THE FACT

THAT YAO GUANG IS APPARENTLY DUE TO VISIT SCANDANAVIA SHORTLY AND THAT THE GOVERNOR PLANNED TO TAKE SOME LEAVE DURING AUGUST.

3. OF THE MAJOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS, THE ONLY ITEM OF NOTE HAS

BEEN A COMMENTARY IN THE TA KUNG PAO ON 25 JULY EXPRESSING GENERAL

CONFIDENCE IN THE OUTCOME OF THE TALKS AND IN HONG KONG'S LONG TERM

PROSPECTS. ONE OF THE LESSER COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS, THE CHING PO, PICKED UP A POINT MADE IN THE PRO-CHINA TIN TIN DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL

OF 20 JULY TO THE EFFECT THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG COULD NOT

EXPECT TO HAVE A RIGHT OF VETO OVER ANY AGREEMENT. SELF RULE DID

NOT MEAN SELF DETERMINATION. SELF RULE FOR HONG KONG MEANT A LOCAL

GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE TO THE CENTRAL CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

4. THE EXPRESS (RIGHT WING) REPORTED A CHINESE CIVIL LAW EXPERT

AND MEMBER OF THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, MR WANG JIAFU,

AS HAVING SAID THAT CHINA WAS PLANNING TO SET UP A COMMITTEE TO DRAW

UP SEPARATE MINI CONSTITUTIONS FOR HONG KONG AND TAIWAN. THE COM-

MITTEE WOULD CONSULT PUBLIC OPINION, INCLUDING THE LEGAL PROFESSION

IN HONG KONG BEFORE DRAFTING THE MINI CONSTITUTIONS. THE WEN WEI PO

AND TA KUNG PAO HAVE ALSO REPORTED PROMINENTLY A CHINA NEWS SERVICE

DESPATCH QUOTING WANG JIAFU AS SAYING THAT THE FIRST SET OF CIVIL

LAWS SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC WOULD BE PUB-

LISHED EITHER AT THE END OF THIS YEAR OR EARLY NEXT YEAR.

HADDON-CAVE

LIMITED

COPIES TO:

HD/HKD

HD/FED

HD/PLANNING STAFF

HD/PUSD

PS

PS/LADY YOUNG

PS/MR LUCE

PS/PUS

SIR J BULLARD

MR GIFFARD

MR DONALD

MR WRIGHT

SIR I SINCLAIR LEGAL ADVISER MR BURROWS

MR MARTIN

MR FLOWER

MR COLES

LEGAL ADVISERS

ASSESSMENTS STAFF CABINET OFFICE

PUSD

NO 10 DOWNING ST

SIR A PARSONS

RESEARCH DEPT

MR WALKER.

MR ROBERTS NEWS D

GOGGS

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