TNAG-1391-FCO40-1863-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 59

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(a) Press Freedom up to and beyond 1997

The HKJA's submission suggests that Annex I Section XIII of the

agreement, which provides that the Hong Kong SAR shall maintain the

freedom of the press, and that "The provisions of the International

Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International

Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong

Kong shall remain in force", does not go far enough in this regard, and that the Basic Law should describe journalists' rights in more

detail. The HKJA submission also asks that the Hong Kong Law Reform

Commission should examine those Hong Kong laws which could impinge

on press freedom (eg the Control of Publications Consolidation

Ordinance) and that statutory "media council" should be established.

(b) Nationality.

Mr Wong is a strong critic of the BNA and subsequent legislation.

(c) HMG's responsibilities towards Hong Kong particularly in the

run up to 1997

Mr Wong may argue the need for HMG to resist Chinese interference

pre-1997, and may

raise the recent difficulties

of a BDTC in the JLG as an instance of this.

over the inclusion

(d)

China's credibility

Mr Wong doubts that China will honour the agreement. He recently

quoted at the IFT meeting in Brussels the remarks of Secretary

General Hu Yaobang, on the need for the press in China to serve Communist party, as an example of China's intentions towards Hong

Kong after 1997.

the

There is no evidence however that Hu was thinking

of the press other than on the

mainland.