TNAG-1472-FCO40-2003-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 235

GRS 1800

RESTRICTED

Vizit

PA No let's Mr but for

114

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 297

OF 290915Z JANUARY 86

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO BPUSSELS INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA

HKR 02715

RECE

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE : WEEKLY ROUNDUP

SUMMARY:

STKY

03 FEB 1986

ZA

.: Taken

1463/2

AB 312

1. MR. RENTON'S VISIT AND THE NATIONALITY ISSUE CONTINUED TO B

THE MAJOR TOPICS. LU PING ALSO FEATURED PROMINENTLY.

NEWS COVERAGE:

2. MR. RENTON: THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS GIVEN MASSIVE COVERAGE,

WITH SOME PAPERS RUNNING A FULL TRANSCRIPT. REACTION TO THE

MINISTER'S ASSURANCES ON NATIONALITY WAS GENERALLY FAVOURABLE, BUT

MR RENTON WAS HEAVILY CRITICISED FOR BEING EVASIVE ON THE QUESTION

OF POLITICAL REFORMS AND THEIR CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL. UMELCO

MEMBERS WERE AMONG THOSE WHO CRITICISED MR. RENTON FOR REFERRING TO

''HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS AS AN EXCUSE FOR EVADING QUESTIONS HE

DID NOT WISH TO ANSWER. THERE WAS ALSO CONCERN THAT BRITAIN WAS

SEEKING TO WASH HER HANDS OF INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS:

AND UMELCO MEMBER SELINA CHOW EXPRESSED SURPRISE AT MP. RENTON'S

REMARKS ON LEGCO TOWARDS THE END OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE, WHICH

SHE DESCIRBED AS WORRYING AND AMBIVALENT.

3. NATIONALITY: REACTION TO THE LORDS DEBATE AND MR. RENTON'S PRESS CONFERENCE RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT HAS BEEN REPORTED IN MY

TELNOS 248 AND 267 (NOT TO ALL). PAPERS TODAY CARRIED THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TEAM OF HKG OFFICIALS TO VISIT LONDON NEXT

WEEK. ORIENTAL DAILY SAID THAT THE UMELCO ADHOC GROUP WOULD MEET THE DELEGATION ON FRIDAY BEFORE THEIR DEPARTURE. HK COMMISSIONER

IN LONDON COLVYN HAYE WAS REPORTED AS SAYING THAT HE WAS OPTIMISTIC THAT EFFORTS TOWARDS GETTING A BETTER NATHONALITY DEAL WOULD NOT

(NOT) BE FRUITLESS. LU PING WAS REPORTED AS SAYING THAT AFTER 1997 HK CHINESE RESIDENTS WOULD BE FREE TO HOLD PASSPORTS ISSUED BY OTHER COUNTRIES WITHOUT FEAR OF BREACHING CHINA'S NATIONALITY LAWS BECAUSE CHINA WOULD REGARD THEM AS TRAVEL DOCUMENTS ONLY. HE ADDED

THAT THE SAR PASSPORT WOULD BE ISSUED DIRECTLY BY THE SAP

AUTHORITIES NOT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AND WOULD BE

DIFFERENT FROM THE SAR PASSPORT. RESTRICTED

14.