GPS 400
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
FN HONG KONG 15685OZ JUL 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
вы
(60)
TO" Copa 2617
MKK090/2
RECEIVED III ROSAW NO. $1
19 JUL 1983
DESK OF INDEX
RESISTRY
་ ་
tion Takan
↑ ich2017
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1015 OF 15 JULY 1933 INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, GENEVA AND BRUSSELS
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE OF THE TALKS IN PEKING.
PRESS REACTION TO THE STATEMENT ON 13 JULY CONTINUES TO BE FAVOURABLE. THE CURRENT EDITION OF THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW SEEMS TO HAVE SUMMED UP THE GENERAL ATTITUDE THAT ALTHOUGH LITTLE
WAS EXPECTED FROM THE TWO DAYS OF TALKS, THEIR DESCRIPTION AS QUOTE USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE UNQUOTE WAS RATHER BETTER THAN HOPED
FOR.
See (178)
2. ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN COMPARITIVELY LITTLE SPECULATION ON THE
CONTENT OF THE TALKS, MOST INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS PICKED UP
YESTERDAY'S ASSERTION BY THE GUARDIAN THAT BOTH BRITAIN AND CHINA
WANTED TO SPEED UP THE TALKS AND THAT THE TWO SIDES HAD REACHED
AN AGREEMENT OVER THE SOVEREIGNTY ISSUE WHICH WOULD NOT CAUSE EITHER
PARTY TO LOSE FACE. THIS HAD ENABLED THE SECOND PHASE OF THE TALKS TO PROCEED. TIN FUNG EVENING NEWS (LEFTISH) HELD THAT THE CHOICE
OF THE WORD QUOTE CONSTRUCTIVE UNQUOTE INDICATED A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH
PICKING UP AN EDITORIAL IN THE TIMES OF 13 JULY, THE NEWSPAPER
ARGUED THAT THE TIMES REPRESENTED BRITISH GOVERNMENT POLICY AND
THAT HMG WAS INDEED CONSIDERING A CONCESSION ON SOVEREIGNTY.
3. FOUR LEFT-WING PAPERS (WEN WEI PO, TA KUNG PAO AND COMMERCIAL
DAILY) AND THE ORIENTAL DAILY RELAYED A CHINA NEWS SERVICE ITEM
ABOUT COMMENTS MADE BY THE HEAD OF GUANGZHOU'S TOWN PLANNING OFFICE.
THE SOURCE SPOKE OF A NEW SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE FOR THE PEARL RIVER
DELTA REGION CENTRED ON GUANGZHOU. IT WOULD BE SET UP IN THREE STAGES
WITH THE FINAL STAGE POSSIBLY INCLUDING HONG KONG AND MACAU (NO
TIME FRAME WAS MENTIONED). AN EDITORIAL IN TA KUNG PAO SAID THAT
THE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG WOULD BE USEFUL TO THE DEVELOPEMENT
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