TNAG-1250-FCO40-1564-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 30

GRS 750

RESTRICTED

DESKBY FCO 1310OOZ

HKK040/2

RESTRICTED RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

FM HONG KONG 13085OZ DEC 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1931 OF 13 DECEMBER

D:

INDEX

1983

24

RY

LAF8 21/2 CHBL

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

FUTURE OF HONG KONG : PRESS COVERAGE.

1. THE COMMUNIST PRESS MOUNTED A CONCERTED ATTACK ON THE HONG KONG OBSERVERS POSITION PAPER. IN A COMMENTARY, THE FA KUNG PAO SAID THAT THE POSITION PAPER DID NOT MENTION THE GROUP'S POSITION ON CHINA'S POLICY ON REGAINING SOVEREIGNTY AND ADMINISTRATION OVER HONG KONG. AMONG THE 24 ITEMS IN THE PAPER, THERE WERE AT LEAST 8 CR 9 REFERENCES TO SINO/BRITISH CO-OPERATION TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE AND TO HELP HONG KONG PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THE AIM OF SELF RULE. THE GROUP HAD EVEN SUGGESTED THAT CHINA'S POLICY TOWARDS HONG KONG SHOULD BE DRAWN UP WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF BRITAIN. BUT HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE CHINESE PEOPLE AND THE ARRANGMENTS FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE WERE AND INTERNAL CHINESE MATTER. OUTSIDERS WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO INTERFERE IN SUCH MATTERS.

2. A LETTER, PURPORTEDLY FROM A READER, IN THE VEN WEI PO AND THE EDITORIAL IN THE NEW EVENING POST ON 12 DECEMBER ALSO MADE THE POINT THAT THE ELABORATION OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE CONSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS WAS NOT (NOT) A MATTER ON WHICH THE BRITISH COULD HAVE ANY SAY. THE NEW EVENING POST EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE OBSERVERS' SUGGESTION OF A GRADUAL TRANSITION TO SELF RULE WAS NOT A REVIVAL OF PROPOSALS FOR A 30 YEAR TRANSITION PERIOD, WHICH WERE UNACCEPTABLE. WHILST THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WELCOMED SUGGESTION FROM HONG KONG PEOPLE, IT WAS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE BRITISH SIDES DETERMINATION TO PLAY THE ECONOMIC CARD IN THE TALKS HAD ADVERSELY AFFECTED HONG KONG. THE TWO MINOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS, CHING PO AND CENTRE DAILY NEWS, AS WELL AS THE PRO-CHINA TIN TIN DAILY, ECHOED THESE CRITICISMS, ALTHOUGHT THE CENTRE DAILY NEWS SAID THAT THE GROUP HAD SHOWN A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS HONG KONG AND HAD PRESENTED THEIR VIEWS VERY CANDIDLY. (BEFORE TODAY'S CRITISISM OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THEIR VIEWS, THE COMMUNIST PRESS HAD GENERALLY BEEN COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE OBSERVERS WERE WILLING TO GO TO PEKING TO DISCUSS HONG KONG'S FUTURE. THIS EXPLAINS AN ARTICLE IN TODAY'S SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, SUMMARISING PRESS COVERAGE OF THE OBSERVERS, AND SUGGESTING THAT THEIR VIEWS HAD BEEN WELCOMED BY THE CHINESE.)

RESTRICTED

/3. THE

336

Page 30Page 31