TNAG-1249-FCO40-1563-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 137

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 1443 OF 29 SEPTEMBER

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INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, UKMIS NEW YORK (FOR S OF S PARTY), WASHINGTON (FOR PS TO PM)

4:GISTRY

Adrien Taken

INFO ROUTINE HK GOVT REPS WASHINGTON, CG NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA, BRUSSELS

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.

1. THE MAIN STORY IN TODAY'S INDEPENDENT PRESS WAS THE PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY MR LUCE YESTERDAY EVENING. THREE POINTS WERE HIGHLIGHTED:

(A) MR LUCE'S REITERATION OF HMG'S FIRM COMMITMENT TO SEARCH FOR

A SETTLEMENT ACCEPTABLE TO BRITAIN, CHINA AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

(B) HAS REMARK THAT COMMENTS BY CHINESE OFFICIALS ON THE BRITISH POSITION WERE UNHELPFUL.

(C) HIS ANNOUNCEMENT THAT UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF EXCO WOULD

ACCOMPANY ME TO LONDON NEXT WEEK.

2. THERE HAS SO FAR BEEN LITTLE COMMENT BY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS. WAH KILU YAT PO REGARDED MR LUCE'S REMARKS AS A BOOST TO CONFIDENCE WHILST EDITORIALS IN THE FINANCIAL DAMLY AND MING PAO URGED BRITAIN AND CHINA TO AGREE ON CONCRETE MEASURES TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG'S FUTURE.

3. THE LEADING COMMUNIST PAPERS (TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WE PO) GAVE THE PRESS CONFERENCE ROUTINE COVERAGE ON THEIR BACK PAGES. THESE WERE LARGELY FACTUAL REPORTS. IN ITS EDITOR HAL TA KUNG PAO ARGUED THAT MR LUCE'S VISIT WAS PART OF BRITAIN'S TACTIC TO PLAY THE ''PUBLIC OPINION CARD''. ALTHOUGH HE HAD MADE MUCH PLAY OF LISTENING TO THE VIEWS OF VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS, THESE WERE ALL UNDER THE CONTROL OF OR SET UP BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. THE EDITORIAL DENIED THAT CHINA HAD BREACHED CONFIDENTIALITY IN THE TALKS SO FAR. A SHORT COMMENTARY IN WEN WE PO SAID IT WAS THE BRATHISH, NOT THE CHINESE, SADE WHICH HAD TALKED TOO MUCH IN PUBLIC. NT CINTED AS EXAMPLES REMARKS MADE BY HONG KONG

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