TNAG-1250-FCO40-1564-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 28

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GR 800

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DESKBY 14080OZ

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FM HONG KONG 14074OZ DEC 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1937 OF 14 DECEMBER

MKK0402

VED IN KEJSTY'

JLL 1993

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING INFO ROUTINE HK GOVT REPS WASHINGTON, CG NEW YORK, UKMISGENEVAH

BRUSSELS

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.

८१

"AFR CZ CABL

1. THE COMMUNIST PRESS MAINTAINED ITS CONCERTED CRITICISM OF THE HONG KONG OVSERVERS' POSITION PAPER. THE NEW EVENING POST IN ITS

EDITORIAL ON 13 DECEMBER SAID THAT THE OBSERVERS' PAPER HAD

MENTIONED TWO APPREHENSIONS: FEAR OF EXCESSIVE INTERVENTION BY

THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG'S AFFAIRS AND FEAR OF A

VACUUM CREATED BY A BRITISH WITHDRAWAL FROM HONG KONG, THIS

INDICATED THAT THE LEADING MEMBERS OF THE GROUP HAD MORE TRUST

IN THE BRITISH THAN IN THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE

OF HONG KONG. THE OBSERVERS HAD DELIBERATELY OMITTED TO MENTION

THEIR POSITION ON CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. IT WAS

TRUE THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE STILL HAD DOUBTS AND WORRIES ABOUT

THE FUTURE ARRANGEMENTS FOR HONG KONG. BUT THE OBSERVERS' OVER

RELIANCE ON THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND MISTRUST OF THE CHINESE

GOVERNMENT AND HONG KONG PEOPLE DID NOT REFLECT REALITY

OBJECTIVELY.

2. A COMMENTATOR IN THE PRO-CHINA TIN TIN DAILY NEWS SAID THAT

THE PAPER REFERRED TWELVE TIMES TO THE NEED FOR SINO/BRITISH

CO-OPERATION TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE. IT

WAS RIDICULOUS FOR THE GROUP TO SUGGEST THAT A FOREIGN COUNTRY

SHOULD HELP CHINA DRAFT A MINI CONSTITUTION FOR HONG KONG.

EDITORIALS AND COMMENTARIES IN THE TWO MINOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS, CHING PO AND CENTRE DAILY NEWS MADE SIMILAR POINTS.

3. A NUMBER OF PAPERS CARRIED ACCOUNTS OF FURTHER REMARKS TO THE

PRESS BY THE LEADER OF THE OBSERVERS DELEGATION, MISS ANNA WU.

THE TIN TIN DAILY NEWS QUOTED HER AS SAYING THAT THE OBSERVERS

HAD LEARNT FROM CHINESE OFFICIALS THAT CHINA HAD APPLIED TO JOIN

GATT AND THAT THIS WOULD ENABLE HONG KONG TO MAINTAIN ITS

INDEPENDENT STATUS IN THE GATT IN FUTURE. THE OBSERVERS HAD ALSO

BEEN TOLD THAT THE FINAL COURT OF APPEAL WOULD BE IN HONG KONG

AND THAT THERE WAS NO CONFLICT BETWEEN THE MINI CONSTITUTION AND

CHINA'S STATE CONSTITUTION. A NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT PAPERS, INCLUDING THE SOUTH CMINA MORNING POST AND THE HONG KONG STANDARD,

QUOTED MISS WU AS HAVING SAID THAT SHE WOULD DISCUSS WITH THE

OTHER MEMBERS OF THE OBSERVERS THE POSSIBILITY OF RESPONDING TO

THE CRITICISM IN THE COMMUNIST PRESS.

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