TNAG-1263-FCO40-1606-Parliamentary-contacts-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 118

2. THERE WAS LITTLE COMMENT IN THE COMMUNIST PRESS. WEN WEY: PO DESCRIBED THE GOVERNOR AS LOOKING QUOTE RELAXED UNQUOTE WHEN HE ARRIVED HAN PEKING AND QUOTED HIM AS SAYING THAT HE MAINTAINED HIS OPTISM ABOUT THE TALKS. AN EDITORIAL IN THE THAN THN DAILY NEWS (PRO-CHANA) DESCRIBED THE RELATIVE SILENCE OF THE PRESS IN CHINA AS A LULL BEFORE THE STORM THAT WOULD BREAK UNLESS BRITAIN ADOPTED A MORE FLEXIBLE STANCE. THE CENTRE DAILY NEWS (ALSO PRO-CHINA) ECHOED

THIS COMMENT.

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3. A COLUMNIST IN YESTERDAY'S NEW EVENING POST (COMMUNIST) REFERRED TO REPORTS FROM LONDON THAT BRITAIN MIGHT CONCEDE SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA IN EXCHANGE FOR QUOTE THE PARTIAL RETENTHON OF ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHT UNQUOTE #IN HONG KONG. THIS REPRESENTED A QUOTE THIRD CARD UNQUOTE #WN THE SERIES OF QUOTE PUBLIC OPHION UNQUOTE AND QUOTE ECONOMIC UNQUOTE CARDS. THE COLUMNIST DOUBTED WHETHER CHINA WOULD ACCEPT A BRITISH DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.

4. AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF OTHERWISE FAVOURABLE REACTION TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S RECENT ECONOMIC MEASURES (MY TELNO 1537), THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL (INDEPENDENT) TODAY CARRIED AN EDITORIAL CRITICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT'S SACRIFICING ITS ECONOMIC QUOTE PRINCIPLES UNQUOTE UNDER PRESSURE FROM CHINA BY DEPLETING TS EXCHANGE FUND RESERVES TO THE DETRIMENT OF LOCAL INDUSTRY AND

COMMERCE.

HADDOR-CAVE

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