TNAG-1250-FCO40-1564-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 34

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FM HONG KONG 120845Z DEC 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1917 OF 12 DECEMBER

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AFB 12/12 CM BL1

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

UKMIS GENEVA

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE.

THE WEEK-END'S COMMUNIST AND INDEPENDENT PRESS CARRIED MORE THAN THE USUAL NUMBER OF FUTURE-RELATED EDITORIALS AND COMMENTARIES. MOST OF THESE SOUGHT TO REVIEW PROGRESS IN THE TALKS AND TO SPECULATE ON THE DRAFTING OF A MINI-CONSTITUTION FOR HONG KONG. THE OTHER MAJOR ITEM WAS THE RETURN OF THE HONG KONG OBSERVERS

DELEGATION FROM PEKING.

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2. AN EDITORIAL IN FRIDAY'S NEW EVENING POST (COMMUNIST) ARGUED THAT THE RECENT ROUND OF TALKS HAD MADE BETTER PROGRESS THAN PREVIOUS ROUNDS BECAUSE SUCH STUMBLING BLOCKS AS THE THEORY

OF ILLEGAL TREATIES** RENEWAL OF LEASE'', **SOVEREIGNTY IN EXCHANGE FOR ADMINISTRATION OR JOINT ADMINISTRATION'T HAD BEEN SWEPT AWAY OR EVADED. THE EDITORIAL CONCLUDED WITH A WARNING ON THE DAMAGE DONE BY THOSE WHO ORGANISED OR TOLERATED THE ORGANISATION OF 'SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE TALKS

THEMSELVES.

3. A SPECIAL COMMENTARY IN TA KUNG PAO (COMMUNIST) ON SATURDAY ARGUED THAT MORE PEOPLE WERE COMING ROUND TO SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE TO RULE HONG KONG'' AND MOST OF THEM NOW FELT THE FORMULA WAS THE BEST PRACTICABLE SOLUTION OFFERED BY CHINA. THE COMMENTATOR WENT ON TO ARGUE THAT CHINA'S PRESENT OPEN DOOR'' POLICIES WERE NO (NO) TEMPORARY MEASURE. RATHER THE LONG-TERM STRATEGY HAD BEEN CONSOLIDATED INTO AN IRREVERSIBLE HISTORICAL

TREND AND THERE WOULD BE NO DOUBLING BACK.

4. IN ITS EDITORIAL ON SATURDAY, TIN TIN DAILY NEWS (PRO-CHINA ) COMMENDED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT FOR ANNOUNCING RECENTLY A NUMBER OF LONG-TERM INVESTMENT PROJECTS. THIS DEMONSTRATED BRITAIN'S DESIRE TO RETURN HONG KONG TO CHINA AS A VIABLE CONCERN RATHER

THAN A DILAPIDATED' TERRITORY.

5. A FEATURE ARTICLE IN WEN. WEI PO (COMMUNIST) ON SUNDAY ATTEMPTED

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TO SHOW THAT RUNNING AWAY FROM HONG KONG WAS NOT THE BEST STRATEGEM. IT CITED EXAMPLES OF RECENT EMIGRANTS TO THE USA, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA WHO HAD FALLEN ON HARD TIMES.

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