TNAG-1249-FCO40-1563-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 31

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MiKK04010

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 2 1 NOV 1983

DESKBY 1809OOZ FCO

FM HONG KONG 180800 NOV 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

NDLA

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1758 OF 18 NOVEMBER

INFOR HIMMEDIATE PEKING

CORY

1 REGISTRY

Tun Takaz

ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON,

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BRUSSELS AND GENEVA.

FUTURE OF HONG KONG : PRESS COVERAGE.

THE PRIME MINISTER'S ANSWER TO A QUESTION FROM MR. DAVID STEELE ABOUT DIFFERENCES IN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE FALKLANDS AND HONG KONG WAS COVERED IN ALL. SECTIONS OF THE PRESS, PROMINENTLY IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND UNDEPENDENT PRESS AND ROUTINELY IN THE LEFT-WING PRESS. THE REPORTS CONCENTRATED ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S REMARK THAT 95 PERCENT OF THE TERRITORY OF HONG KONG WOULD BY TREATY REVERT TO CHINA MN 1997. WHILST MOST PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WOULD WISH TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO, NEVERTHELESS THE TREATY DID EXIST. OF THE TWO LEADING COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS THE TA KƯNG PAO REPORTED THE PRIME MINISTER'S REMARKS ACCURATELY. THE WEN WE PO CARR MED MTS REPORT UNDER A HEADLINE STATING THAT THE PRIME MINISTER STILL CLANMED THE TREATHES WERE VAL D.

2. THE RETURN OF THE NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS FROM THEIR VISIT TO PEKING WAS ALSO PROMINENTLY COVERED IN ALL SECTION OF THE PRESS, AND HAS TRIGGERED FURTHER COMMENT ON THEIR MEETING WITH JP PENGFE (MY TELNOS 1745 AND 1751). HWN A SHORT COMMENTARY THE WEN WE PO SAND THAT THE VMSHIT HAD SUCCEEDED IN ALLAYING THE FEARS OF THE GROUP ABOUT HONG KONG'S FUTURE. THE GROUP HAD SAID THAT THEY AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE AND ORGANISATHONS IN HONG KONG HOPED THAT CHINA WOULD ANNOUNCE ITS CONCRETE PROPOSALS FOR HONG KONG AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. CHINA'S DECISION TO ANNOUNCE HITS GUIDELINES NO LATER THAT NEXT SEPTEMBER WAS THEREFORE MEANT TO FULFIL THE WISHES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE. A COLUMNIST IN THE NEW EVENING POST (COMMUNIST) ON 17 NOVEMBER OBSERVED THAT THE NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS HAD EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT CHINA WOULD ANNOUNCE ITS PLANS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MR RICHARD LUCE HAD DISAGREED WITH THE MDEAT OF A SEPTEMBER DEADLINE. THIS DEMONSTRATED THAT WHILST HONG KONG RESIDENTS WISHED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CHINA'S PLANS, BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS WERE TRYING TO SHROUD THE

TERRITORY'S FUTURE HAN FOG. RESTRICTED

THE

3.