TNAG-1752-FCO40-2472-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 157

62

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 297

OF 21094UZ JANUARY 88

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

DEBATE ON HONG KONG

F

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB 040/2

25 JAN 1988

MEDIA COVERAGE

170555

MDLIAN 3050

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

THE DEBATE WAS GIVEN FULL AND PROMINENT COVERAGE BY THE MEDIA IN HK. IT WAS BROADCAST LIVE BY RTHK'S RADIO 3.

2. BOTH THE SCMP AND THE STANDARD REPORTED THE DEBATE IN THEIR FRUNT PAGE LEAD, HIGHLIGHTING THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OPENING

SPEECH, WHICH WAS ALSO PUBLISHED IN FULL BY THE SCMP. BOTH PAPERS ALSO GAVE GOOD COVERAGE TO OTHER SPEECHES, IN PARTICULAR TO MR KAUFMAN'S ARGUMENT FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS THIS YEAR: AND SIR PETER BLAKER'S REBUTTAL TO MARTIN LEE'S ALLEGATION THAT HMG HAD RENEGED ON ITS PROMISE TO INTRODUCE DIRECT ELECTIONS IN HK THIS YEAR.

3. THE DEBATE WAS ALSO GIVEN GOOD COVERAGE BY ALL CHINESE PAPERS. ALL REPORTS LED WITH THE OPENING SPEECH BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE, WITH A NUMBER OF THEM GIVING PROMINENT QUOTES OF SIR GEOFFREY'S REAFFIRMATION OF BRITAIN'S COMMITMENT TO HK AND REJECTION OF CLAIMS THAT BRITAIN WAS SEEKING GOOD RELATIONS WITH CHINA AT THE EXPENSE OF HK'S INTERESTS. A FEW PAPERS ALSO COVERED OTHER SPEECHES. SING TAO JIH PAO AND THE HK DAILY NEWS SAID IN HEADLINES THAT LABOUR MPS STRONGLY CALLED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS THIS YEAR. TA KUNG PAO HIGHLIGHTED SIR GEOFFREY'S REMARK ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HK'S POLITICAL SYSTEM AND THE BASIC LAW. WEN WEI PO PLAYED UP SIR GEOFFREY'S MENTION OF THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER'S IMPENDING VISIT. IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTED SIR GEOFFREY'S REMARK THAT BRITAIN NOTED THE GENERAL FEELING IN HK THAT THE WHITE PAPER SHOULD CONTAIN A CLEAR STATEMENT ON WHEN DIRECT ELECTIONS SHOULD BE INTRODUCED.

4. THE STANDARD PUBLISHED COMMENTS BY LEGCO MEMBERS DESMOND LEE AND JACKIE CHAN THAT THEY WERE DISAPPOINTED WITH SIR GEOFFREY'S REMARKS. S CMP 'S ANN QUON WROTE THAT THE DEBATE SHOW THAT 'THE TAIL OF THE BRITISH TIGER COULD BE TWEAKED.' SHE SAID SIR GEOFFREY HAD OFFERED NOTHING NEW TO THE BRITISH VIEW ON HK, WHICH WAS ''THAT OF A GOVERNMENT WITH ITS HANDS TIED BY THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA.