TNAG-1249-FCO40-1563-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 191

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FM HONG KONG 150945Z SEP 83 -

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1364 OF 15 SEPTEMBER

DESK OFFICER

PA

INDEX

INFO PEKING (HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES) WASHINGTON NEW

YORK GENEVA BRUSSELS HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE

1. A STATEMENT ON XU JHATUN'S MEETING WITH THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY

STUDENTS' UNION (ON MONDAY),HIS MEET MIG WITH HEUNG YEE KUK MEMBERS ON TUESDAY, AND VISITING CHINESE ECONOMIST XU DIXHN'S COMMENTS ON

THE HONG KONG DOLLAR DOMINATED CHINESE-LANGUAGE PRESS REPORTS.

2. TA KUNG PAO (COMMUNIST) PUBLISHED IN FULL THE TEXT OF A STATEMENT

ISSUED BY THE HKU STUDENTS UNION WHICH GAVE AN ACCCOUNT OF XU

JIATUN'S MEETING WITH THEM ON MONDAY. ACCORDING TO THE STATEMENT,

XU HAD SAID THAT THE DIPLOMATIC TALKS MIN PEKING ONLY DEALT WITH

THE ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD

TO 1997. IT WAS ENTIRELY BETWEEN THE CENTRAL CHINESE GOVERNMENT

AND THE LOCAL (HONG KONG) GOVERNMENT TO WORK OUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR

HONG KONG AFTER 1997. SINCE BRITAIN AND CHINA HAD AGREED TO KEEP

THE TALKS CONFIDENTIAL THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT COULD NOT UNILATERALLY

GIVE OUT HINFORMATION RELATING TO THE TALKS. XU SAID THAT CHINA

HAD ALREADY DRAWN UP A FORMULA FOR THE FUTURE ADMINISTRATION IN

HONG KONG, DETAILS OF WHICH WOULD BE FINALISED AFTER TAKING INTO

CONSIDERATION THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

3. SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS REPORTED XU JIATUN'S MEETHING WITH HEUNG YEE

KUK LEADERS ON TUESDAY. SNG PAO QUOTED XU AS SAYING THAT IF NO

SOLUTION WAS REACHED BY NEXT YEAR CHINA WOULD UNILATERALLY

ANNOUNCE MTS PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG. HE SAID THAT HONG

KONG'S SYSTEM WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

ACCORDING TO SING PAO XU SAID THAT IT WAS UNWISE FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO PLAY THE QUOTE PUBLIC OPINION CARD UNQUOTE WHICH WOULD ONLY COMPLICATE THE TALKS. ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS (INDEPENDENT) REPORTED XU AS SAYING THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN

QUOTE UNCORPORATIVE UNQUOTE ON THE SUBJECT OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE. WEN WEY PO QUOTED HIM AS SAYING THAT AFTER THE REVERSION OF SOVEREIGNTY BUSINESSMEN HIN HONG KONG COULD CONTINUE TO MAKE MONEY WHILE INTELLECTUALS COULD STILL ENJOY FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY.

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