TNAG-1249-FCO40-1563-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 155

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7. THE INDEPENDENT MING PAO AGREED WITH A RECENT SPEECH BY MR

HENRY LITTON QC TO THE COMMONWEALTH LAW CONFERENCE ON THE NEED

TO PRESERVE THE PRESENT LEGAL SYSTEM. IT NOTED THAT COUNTRIES

WHICH RESPECTED THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY E.G. CANADA,

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND HAD PROSPERED WHILE THOSE WHICH HAD

NOT, E.G. UGANDA, WERE POLITICALLY CORRUPT AND ECONOMICALLY BACKWARD.

8. ALL THE MAJOR CHINESE INDEPENDENT PAPERS PICKED UP A RECENT

STORY BY BARRY CHOI, POLITICAL EDITOR OF THE SCMP, TO THE EFFECT THAT HONG KONG STOOD TO LOSE ITS TRADING PRIVILEGES UNDER GATT

IF THERE WAS A CHANGE OF SOVEREIGNTY AND ADMINISTRATION.

9. MOST PAPERS ANTICIPATED A SPEECH THAT SIR S.Y. CHUNG IS DUE

TO DELIVER AT THE COMMONWEALTH LAW CONFERENCE TODAY. IT IS CLAIMED

THAT HE WILL STRESS THAT THE PRESERVATION OF CONFIDENCE HINGES

ON GUARANTEES THAT THE PRESENT LIFESTYLES, SYSTEMS AND POLICIES

WILL BE MAINTAINED.

10. MY TELNO 542 OMITTED REFERENCE TO AN ARTICLE IN TA KUNG PAO

ON 21 SEPTEMBER WHICH SUGGESTED THAT THERE WERE TWO WAYS IN

WHICH SOVEREIGNTY COULD BE RECOVERED E. BY NEGOTIATION OR

IN THE CASE OF INDIA OVER GOA, BY FORCE.

11. OVERSEAS PRESS COMMENTARY.

>

AS

IN A LETTER TO THE TIMES, LORD SHAWCROSS REFERS TO THE RAPID CROSION OF CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. REFERRING TO REPORTS THAT CHINA WISHED TO SETTLE THE ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY WITHIN ONE YEAR, HE DESCRIBES THIS PROPOSAL AS A MAJOR ERROR. UNLESS THERE WAS AN

AGREED SETTLEMENT, THE SITUATION WOULD BECOME CRITICAL. THIS

WOULD BENEFIT OTHER FINANCIAL CENTRES TO THE DETRIMENT OF HONG

KONG AND CHINA.

12. YESTERDAY'S FINANCIAL TIMES IN AN ARTICLE

ENTITLED HOME TRUTHS FOR HONG KONG CLAIMED THAT ATTACKS

BY THE PEOPLE'S DAILY SIGNALLED THA BRITAIN IS NO LONGER

SEEN AS A NEGOTIATING PARTNER BUT AS AN ADVERSARY. ALTHOUGH

BRITAIN INSISTS IN PUBLIC AT LEAST THAT THE TREATIES ARE

STILL VALID, PRIVATLY OFFICIALS CONCEDE THAT THIS POSITION IS

ULTIMATELY UNTENABLE BECAUSE HONG KONG IS INDEFENSIBLE.

THERE WERE QUESTION MARKS OVER HOW LONG CHINA WOULD TOLERATE

HONG KONG'S FREEWHEELING LIFESTYLE, SINCE THE PRECEDENTS OF CHINA'S GUARANTEES TO AUTONOMOUS REGIONS WERE NOT REASSURING.

THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG'S ELECTRONICS AND TEXTILE INDUSTRIES

IN CONNECTION WITH CHINA'S OWN INDUSTRIES WERE ALSO IN DOUBT.

WHATEVER BRITAIN HAD IN MIND FOR SOLVING THE TERRITORIES

PROBLEMS, IT APPEARED THAT PEK-ING DID NOT WANT TO KNOW.

13. YESTERDAY'S LONDON TIMES WAS SHARPLY CRITICAL OF CHINA'S

ATTITUDE TO HONG KONG AND BRITISH HOPES OF GUARANTEEING THE

TERRITORY'S WAY OF LIFE BEYOND 1997. PEKING'S WELL WORN ANTI-

COLONIAL RHETORIC WAS SADLY AT ODDS WITH THE TRUE NATURE

OF HONG KONG IN THE 1980'S.

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