TNAG-1250-FCO40-1564-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 49

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FM HONG KONG 02074OZ DEC 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1862 OF 2 DECEMBER 1983

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- 2 DEL 1983

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INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICI LONDON, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPS WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, GENE BRUSSELS

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS COVERAGE

PA

1. ALL NEWSPAPERS REPORTED PROMINENTLY A MEETING IN PEKING BETWEEN JI PENGFEI (HEAD OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU OFFICE) AND A DELE- GATION FROM THE CHINESE REFORM CLUB OF HONG KONG (A UNITED FRONT ORGANISATION LED BY A WELL KNOWN PRO-CHINA FIGURE, PERCY CHEN). ACCORDING TO THE COMMUNIST PRESS, JI PENGFEI SAID THAT A NUMBER OF PRINCIPLES FOR RETAINING HONG KONG'S PRESENT SOCIAL SYSTEM WOULD BE WRITTEN INTO THE BASIC LAW (QUOTE MINI CONSTITUTION UN- QUOTE) OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION. THE VIEWS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE WILL BE SOUGHT ON THE MINI CONSTITUTION, AFTER WHICH IT WOULD BE ENACTED BY THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS. HONG KONG WOULD BE ABLE TO ORGANISE ITS OWN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MINI CONSTITUTION. IT WAS IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE, OF CHINA AND OF THE WORLD, FOR HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY TO BE PRESERVED, AND HE HOPED THAT CHINA AND BRITAIN WOULD JOINTLY BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THIS. JI PENGFEI WAS ALSO QUOTED IN THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST AS TELLING HIS GUESTS THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HELD FAR SIGHTED AND CRYSTALISED VIEWS ON THE ISSUE OF HONG KONG AND THAT CHINA HAD TAKEN FULLY INTO ACCOUNT THE ANXIETIES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE IN ESTABLISHING ITS

POLICIES.

2. THE WEN WEI PO (COMMUNIST) ALSO PUBLISHED A STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE CHINESE REFORM CLUB WHICH FULLY SUPPORTED THE CHINESE POSITION AND ASSERTED THAT IT WAS REASONABLE AND LEGAL FOR CHINA TO RECOVER SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. THERE WERE MANY ISSUES WHICH NEEDED TO BE RESOLVED, INCLUDING PROPERTY OWNERSHIP, TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND TRADE QUOTAS. THE GROUP URGED PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY THE PROFESSIONAL CLASSES, TO MAKE MORE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ON THESE ISSUES.

3. ALL PAPERS ALSO REPORTED A SPEECH BY MR. JOHN WALDEN (A FORMER DIRECTOR OF HOME AFFAIRS WHO HAS RECENTLY MADE A NUMBER OF PUBLIC ATTACKS ON THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT) TO A LIONS CLUB MEETING ON 1 DECEMBER. THE COMMUNIST PRESS GAVE HIS SPEECH SOME PROMINENCE. MR. WALDEN WAS REPORTED AS HAVING URGED HONG KONG PEOPLE TO SEEK PUBLIC VIEWS ON WAYS IN WHICH THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG COULD BE DEMOCRATISED. LOCAL PEOPLE WERE RIGHT TO INSIST ON A MUCH CLEARER EXPLANATION OF CHINA'S SELF RULE FORMULA BEFORE THEY COMMITTED THEMSELVES. EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN BY HONG KONG PEOPLE HAD, IN MR. WALDEN'S VIEW, GOT ACORSS TO THE CHINESE THAT IF HONG KONG WERE TO CONTINUE TO PROSPER LOCAL PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TO BE

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