TNAG-1355-FCO40-1796-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 100

CONFIDENTIAL

Hong Kong Press Comment

3.

the

the elections has been

Hong Kong press comment on

generally favourable in the week since they were held.

Non-communist papers saw the elections as an encouraging

step in

smooth development of representative government. Only one paper called for direct elections, to

be introduced at the next stage in the constitutional

process. The communist papers remained cautious, sounding

a warning note about the need for future stages in the

process of reform to have regard to Hong Kong's stability

and prosperity: with this caveat, their comments on the elections were low key and not discouraging.

4.

Peking has reported that there has been no mention

of the elections in the Chinese press.

5.

Xu Jiatun, Director of the New China News Agency

(NCNA) was widely reported as noting that the election to

LEGOO of five members of the Basic Law Drafting Committee

would benefit Hong Kong's stability and prosperity. The

NCNA have declined to make any other comment on the

elections.

=

6.

Existing Unofficial members (ie appointed) of the

Legislative and Executive Councils, whom the 24 newly

elected members will be joining in UMELCO at the end of this month, were reported as welcoming the outcome of the

elections.

Conclusion

7.

-

The elections seem to have gone well, if as might be expected of indirect elections with a limited franchise fairly predictably. They received good press coverage throughout the election period: the Hong Kong public seem to have taken a genuine interest in this major but careful step in Hong Kong's constitutional development. Above

all, China's main spokesmen in the territory, the New

China News Agency and the leftwing press, have

offered

CONFIDENTIAL