TNAG-1248-FCO40-1562-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 95

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FM HONG KONG 130715Z JUL 83

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 352 OF 13 JULY

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INFO IMMEDIATE FCO HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

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FUTURE OF HONG KONG : PRESS COVERAGE OF THE TALKS ON 13 JULY

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19 JUL 1983

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1. REPORTS ON THE TALKS FROM PEKING CONTINUE TO DOMINATE FRONT PAGES OF VIRTUALLY ALL HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS. ON 13 JULY, ALL PAPERS REPORTED THAT THE FIRST SESSION HAD LASTED TWO HOURS AS

WELL AS THE PRESS BRIEFING GIVEN BY QI HUAIYUAN (YOUR TELNO 71), EMPHASISING IN PARTICULAR THE DENIAL OF THE ASIA WEEK STORY AND THE

FULL DETAILS OF THE CHINESE NEGOTIATING TEAM.

2. THERE HAS BEEN A FURTHER ROUND OF EDITORIAL COMMENT, MOST OF

WHICH IS SPECULATION ABOUT THE SUBJECTS DICUSSED DURING THE FIRST

SESSION AND THE PROGRESS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN MADE. THE MOOD OF SUCH

COMMENTS REMAINS GENERALLY OPTIMISTIC THAT A SATISFACTORY SOLUTION

WILL BE REACHED. THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL (INDEPENDENT) DESCRIBED THE

CHINESE TEAM AS QUOTE APPROPRIATE UNQUOTE. PICKING UP THE DENIAL OF

THE ASIA WEEK REPORT, THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL COMMENTED THAT CHINA'S CONSITUTION, HOWEVER DRAFTED, WAS NOT THE BEST GUARANTEE AGAINST

CHANGE IN HONG KONG BECAUSE OF THE MANY CHANGES WHICH HAD OCCURRED IN CHINA AND THE MANY CONSTITUTIONS WHICH CHINA HAD HAD IN RECENT

YEARS. THE BEST ASSURANCE WOULD BE A LEGAL DOCUMENT AGREED BETWEEN

CHINA AND BRITAIN WHICH CHINA COULD NOT CHANGE UNILATERALLY. IT

WAS DOUBTFUL WHETHER CHINA WOULD BE ABLE TO AGREE TO THIS.

3. THE MING PAO SAID THAT THE OUTFLOW OF TALENT FROM HONG KONG AND

THE RELUCTANCE OF BUSINESSMEN TO MAKE NEW INVESTMENTS WERE

WORRYING. JOINT HONG KONG/CHINA PROJECTS WERE NEEDED TO RESTORE

CONFIDENCE AND ENTHUSIASM. THE PRESENCE OF A LEGAL EXPERT, SHAO TIANREN, INDICATED THAT CLOSE ATTENTION WOULD BE PAID TO LEGAL MATTERS. ACCORDING TO THE MING PAO, SHAO HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF THE CHINESE DELEGATION WHICH HAD SETTLED CHINA'S TERRITORIAL DISPUTE

WITH BURMA.

4. THE WEN WEI PO (COMMUNIST) URGED LOCAL CORRESPONDENTS TO CEASE PUBLISHING INACCURATE AND SPECULATE REPORTS ON THE TALKS AND GENERALLY TO SHOW GREATER RESTRAINT. THE NEW EVENING POST (COMMUNIST) IN ITS EDITORIAL ON 12 JULY ALSO CALLED FOR LESS SPECULATIVE REPORTING. SINCE THE TALKS WERE CONFIDENTIAL IT WAS POINTLESS TO MAKE WILD GUESSES. THE OPENING OF THE SECOND PHASE WAS AN ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT. THE HONG KONG PROBLEM INCLUDED THE QUESTION OF RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY, THE HANDING OVER OF ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL AND THE PLANNING OF THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD. THESE COMPLEX ISSUES COULD BE RESOLVED THROUGH A STEP BY STEP APPROACH AND THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE QUOTE OUTSTANDING DIPLOMATS UNQUOTE WHO WERE IN CHARGE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS. THE TIN TIN DAILY NEWS (PRO-CHINA) SUGGESTED THAT CHINA HAD DRAWN UP A COMPLETE SET OF PLANS FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE WHICH WOULD ENSURE THAT HONG KONG WOULD NO LONGER BE DÖMINATED BY QUOTE CAPITALIST CONSORTIA UNQUOTE.

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