TNAG-1621-FCO40-2235-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1987 — Page 166

GRS 900

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 19093OZ FCO

TELNO 216

OF 190745Z JANUARY 87

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

6

Restricted

K

1 020|1

19 JAN 1397

8

See / 12

& Leia O AHOO DOL

en

See /17

YOUR TELNO 133 : RESIGNATION OF HU YAOBANG”

SUMMARY.

EXTENSIVE PRESS COVERAGE OF HU'S RESIGNATION. MIXED REACTION IN HONG KONG: SOME SAY PEOPLE WILL LOSE CONFIDENCE IN CHINA. OTHERS EXPRESS CONFIDENCE IN CONTINUATION OF CHINESE POLICIES TOWARDS HONG

KONG.

PRESS REPORTS.

2. HU'S RESIGNATION AND SUBSEQUENT COMMENTS BY CHINESE LEADERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN EXTENSIVE COVERAGE SINCE 17 JANUARY. THE REPORTS HAVE LARGELY BEEN BASED ON NCNA RELEASES AND OTHER AGENCY REPORTS. LATER REPORTS FOCUSSED ON ZHAO ZIYANG STRESSING THAT THE PERSONNEL CHANGE WOULD NOT (NOT) AFFECT CHINA'S INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL POLICIES AND THAT REFORM WOULD CONTINUE. WEN WEI PO ALSO FOCUSSED ON REASSURANCES THAT POLICIES TOWARDS INTELLECTUALS WOULD NOT (NOT) CHANGE.

CONTINUED CONFIDENCE.

3. LYDIA DUNN COMMENTED THAT, AS HONG KONG'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA HAD BEEN CLEARLY STATED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, HU'S RESIGNATION SHOULD NOT (NOT) AFFECT HONG KONG. EXCO MEMBER Q W LEE SAID THAT HU'S RESIGNATION WAS AN INTERNAL MATTER FOR CHINA. AS FAR AS HONG KONG WAS CONCERNED, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WAS FOR CHINA FAITHFULLY TO IMPLEMENT THE JOINT DECLARATION. LEGCO MEMBER AND CPPCC DELEGATE HO SAI-CHU SAID HU HAD RESIGNED BECAUSE HIS VIEWS DIFFERED FROM THOSE OF THE PARTY AS A WHOLE. HO BELIEVED THAT THE CHANGE WOULD NOT (NOT) AFFECT THE CHINESE OPEN-DOOR POLICY, NOR HONG KONG PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE.

4. INTERVIEWED BY TELEPHONE BY MING PAO, KE ZAISHUO SAID THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S SET POLICIES TOWARDS HONG KONG WOULD NOT (NOT) BE CHANGED AS A RESULT OF THE RESIGNATION. THE HEAD OF LOCAL NCNA'S KOWLOON SUB-OFFICE TOOK THE SAME LINE. HE SAID THAT CHINESE POLICIES HAD BEEN WRITTEN DOWN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND COULD NOT (NOT) BE ALTERED. MAO JUNNIAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL OF LOCAL NCNA, SAID THAT THE PARTY CENTRAL WAS UNDER COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND INDIVIDUAL PERSONNEL CHANGES WOULD NOT (NOT) AFFECT THE POLITICAL SITUATION AND NATIONAL POLICIES. HE STRESSED THAT HONG KONG WOULD NOT (NOT) BE IN ANY WAY AFFECTED.

Restricted

/WAVERING.