TNAG-1299-FCO40-1655-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 83

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4. THE THIRD RANKING COMMUNIST NEWSPAPER, THE NEW EVENING POST, IN ITS EDITORIAL ON 21 APRIL, SAID THAT THE BRITISH POSITION AS CLARIFIED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE COINCIDED EXACTLY WITH CHINESE PLANS AND WITH HONG KONG PEOPLES' DESIRES. THIS THEREFORE BOOSTED CONFIDENCE THAT A SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT COULD BE REACHED. IN THE PAST, WHEN THINGS HAD NOT BEEN SO CLEAR, SOME PEOPLE HAD RETAINED IMPRACTICAL ILLUSIONS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BRITAIN REMAINING IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997. THIS WAS NATURAL AND UNDERSTANDABLE. NOW THAT THE FUTURE WAS CLEAR, ALL PEOPLE, IN SPITE OF WHAT THEY MIGHT HAVE SAID IN THE PAST, COULD JOIN HANDS TO WORK FOR HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. A COLUMNIST IN THE LONG RUN'' COLUMN IN THE SAME EDITION OF THE NEW EVENING POST, DISAGREED WITH THE SUGGESTION THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL GUARANTEES. THIS WAS CONTRARY TO CHINESE PRINCIPLES SINCE HONG KONG POST-1997 WAS A PURELY CHINESE INTERNAL AFFAIR. THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER, MR WU XUEQIAN, HAD REPEATED MANY TIMES CHINA'S ASSURANCES TOWARDS HONG KONG DURING HIS RECENT EUROPEAN TOUR AND INTERVIEWS WITH READERS DIGEST AND ASIAWEEK. WHAT OTHER FORM OF GUARANTEE COULD BE MORE GENEROUS AND COMPREHENSIVE?

5. THE PRO-CHINA TIN FUNG DAILY NOTED THAT BRITAIN HAD CHANGED FROM INSISTING ON THE VALIDITY OF THE THREE TREATIES TO ACCEPTING THE RETURN OF HONG KONG'S SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA. THIS WAS A WISE CHANGE. THE CENTRE DAILY NEWS (MINOR COMMUNIST) IN ITS EDITORIAL SAID THAT WORRIES THAT AN AGREEMENT MIGHT BE REJECTED BY PARLIAMENT WERE UNFOUNDED BECAUSE SIR GEOFFREY HOWE HAD SAID THAT HE WOULD NOT COMMEND TO PARLIAMENT OR TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AN AGREEMENT

THAT WAS UNSATISFACTORY TO THEM.

6. JI PENGFEI'S MEETING WITH HONG KONG ACADEMICS WAS THE LEAD STORY IN THE LEFT WING PRESS AND WAS PROMINENTLY REPORTED IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND INDEPENDENT PRESS. THE POINTS GIVEN MOST ATTENTION WERE JI'S REPORTED REMARKS TO THE EFFECT THAT TAIWAN ORGANISATIONS COULD REMAIN IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997 AND THAT HONG KONG'S COMMERCIAL, CULTURAL AND OTHER RELATIONS WITH

TAIWAN WOULD CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED. JI WAS ALSO REPORTED TO HAVE SAID THAT AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE WAS NOT

(NOT) NECESSARY.

7. EDITORIAL AND OTHER COMMENT IN THE INDEPENDENT AND RIGHT WING PRESS CONTINUED WITH A MIXTURE OF FAVOURABLE, CAUTIOUS AND AT TIMES PESSIMISTIC COMMENT. THE MING PAO (INDEPENDENT) REVIEWED SOME OF ITS OWN EDITORIALS FROM 1981 AND SAID THAT THE PRESENT STATE OF AFFAIRS HAD BEEN VISUALISED BY THE PAPER AT THE TIME. THIS WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE COURSE. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT MAKE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST PARTIES OR INDIVIDUALS. BOTH THE BRITISH AND THE CHINESE WERE STRIVING TO RESPECT THE WISHES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE IN NEGOTIATING A SETTLEMENT. SING POA (INDEPENDENT) SAID THAT THERE WAS STILL A LARGE GAP SETWEEN DRITAIN AND CHINA OVER THE ISSUE OF CONCRETE

ASSURANCES. BRITAIN'S POSITION HAD NOW BEEN FORMALLY SPELT OUT.

IF THE PROMISES COULD BE FULFILED AND ACCEPTED BY PARLIAMENT, THEN THIS QUOTE CHEQUE UNQUOTE WOULD DEFINITELY BE HONOURED. THE

WA KUI YAT PO (INDEPENDENT) SAID THAT THE CECRETARY OF STATE'S STATEMENT HAD DRAWN MORE 3PICKEATS THAN BOUQUETS BECAUSE OF

THE