TNAG-1249-FCO40-1563-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 52

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TELEGRAM NUMBER 1698 OF 9 NOVEMBER 1983

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING AND ROUTHNE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BRUSSELS AND GENEVA

FUTURE OF HONG KONG:PRESS COVERAGE.

THE MAJOR STORY IN ALL NEWSPAPERS TODAY WAS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF MR. EVANS' SUCCESSION AS HMA PEKING. BOTH THE INDEPENDENT AND COMMUNIST PRESS GAVE THE NEWS PROMINENT COVERAGE AND DREW EXTENSIVELY ON A BHOGRAPHY PREPARED BY GIS. ONLY THE INDEPENDENT PRESS COMMENTED ON THE APPOINTMENT, WHICH WAS WIDELY WELCOMED. IN ADDITION TO STRESSING MR. EVANS' EXPERIENCE OF CHINESE AFFAIRS, MOST PAPERS COMMENTED FAVOURABLY ON THE ADDITION TO THE UK NEG- OATHONS TEAM OF MR. EVANS EXPERIENCE AND THE RETENTION IN LONDON OF SHIR PERCY CRADOCK'S EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE.

2. THE FRONT PAGE LEAD IN WEN WEH PO AND TA KUNG PAO (BOTH COMMUNIST) COVERED MR. PETER WALKER'S REMARKS IN GUANGZHOU ABOUT THE SCOPE FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA IN THE ENERGY FIELD. IN ITS COMMENTARY, TA KUNG PAO SAW SUCH COOPERATION AS BENEFITTING BRITAIN, CHINA AND HONG KONG. IN RELATED REPORTS, BOTH THE COMMUNIST AND INDEPENDENT PRESS ANTICIPATED AN ANNOUNCE- MENT SOON ON THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GUANGDONG NUCLEAR PROJECT AND TO PURCHASE ELECTRICITY FROM

GUANGDONG.

3. IN AN ATTEMPT TO CLARIFY WHAT IT DESCRIBED AS QUOTE INACCURATE UNQUOTE AND QUOTE DISTORTED UNQUOTE REPORTS OF QHAN QICHEN'S REMARKS TO THE JA PRESS (MY TELNOS 1652) AN EDITORIAL IN YESTERDAY'S NEW EVENING POST (COMMUNIST) REITERATED CHINA'S GENUINE DESIRE TO REACH A SOLUTION ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE. IF THERE WERE NO RESULTS BY SEPTEMBER 1984, CHINA WOULD INDEED MAKE A UNILATERAL STATEMENT, BUT THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE TALKS WOOLD CONTINUE AFTER THAT DATE WAS QUOTE ANOTHER MATTER UNQUOTE.

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