TNAG-1249-FCO40-1563-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 143

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FROM: R D CLIFT, HKD DATE: 29 September 1983

cc: PS/Mr Luce

Mr Donald

Mr Thomson, FED

240)

Mr Walker, Research Dept Mr Roberts, News Dept

A

B 848

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE

1. Hong Kong telno 1402 reported (in paragraph 6) that the hitherto independent English-language Hong Kong Standard (ciruculation 25,000) was taking an increasingly pro-Peking editorial line. While the Standard has always been more critical of the Hong Kong Government than the other main English language paper, the South China Morning Post (circulation 60,000), this is an unwelcome development. It is however not the first indication we have had recently of a shift of political ground by newspapers in Hong Kong.

2. There are half a dozen newspapers in Hong Kong, notably the Ta Kung Pao and the Wen Wei Po, which have well-known left-wing connections. These have been in the forefront of the Chinese propaganda campaign, whether expounding the Chinese proposals for the future of Hong Kong or attacking the British position. Apart from a few papers whose sympathies still lie with Taiwan, the rest of the daily press in Hong Kong have traditionally steered a politically independent line. Recently, however, there have been suggestions that some of these papers were bending to the Chinese wind.

3. We have just received an up-to-date assessment of the situation from the Hong Kong Government. This states that three of the major Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong - the Wah Kiu Yat Po (circulation 100,000) the Sing Pao Daily News (circulation 300,000) and the Sing Tao (circulation 70,000 in morning edition and 100,000 in the evening edition) - have recently tended to report Chinese statements on the future facturally and to refrain from editorial comment on them. This is largely because they fear possible future retribution from the Chinese. The Hong Kong Government believe

that there has been some direct pressure by the Chinese, in the form of threatening telephone calls, on papers which have made editorial comments that diverge from the Chinese line.

4. However, the most widely read newspaper in Hong Kong, the Oriental Daily News (circulation 600,000) after a period of purely factual reporting, has now moved back to attacking the Chinese proposals and has even printed details of threatening telephone calls that it has received. A number of second rank newspapers, notably the Economic Journal (circulation 60,000) have also continued to speak up.

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