TNAG-1882-FCO40-2673-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-Chinese-complaints-con-1989 — Page 38

CONFIDENTIAL

FM UKREP JLG HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 21093OZ FCO

TELNO 252

OF 2108OOZ NOVEMBER 89

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB

ого

123

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG

for

A

@

020464

MDHIAN 5383

DIST ?

PEKING TELNO 2032 AND YOUR TELNO 2328: INTERNATIONALISATION OF

HONG KONG

1. BY COINCIDENCE, I HAD AGREED YESTERDAY EVENING TO SEE FIVE JOURNALISTS WHO HAD ASKED TO DO PROFILE PIECES ON ME FOLLOWING MY ARRIVAL. ALTHOUGH THIS INTERVIEW WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT ME RATHER THAN CURRENT POLICY, QUESTIONS INEVITABLY STRAYED INTO CURRENT POLICY AND IN PARTICULAR INTERNATIONALISATION. I HAD NOT SEEN THE PEOPLE'S DAILY EDITORIAL, BUT SOME OF THE JOURNALISTS CLEARLY HAD: I SPOKE CLOSELY ALONG THE LINES OF OUR TELNO 248, AS AMENDED.

2. BECAUSE OF THE COINCIDENCE WITH THE PEOPLE'S DAILY EDITORIAL WHAT I SAID ON INTERNATIONALISATION HAS RESULTED IN HEADLINES BOTH

ON HONG KONG RADIO AND THIS MORNING'S ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS, AND IT IS BEING SEEN AS A ''BRITISH GOVERNMENT REBUTTAL'' OF THE PEOPLE'S DAILY EDITORIAL. THE REPORTING IS REASONABLY ACCURATE, GETTING FIRMLY ON RECORD THAT ANY POLICY OF ''INTERNATIONALISATION'' EXISTS AND COVERING WELL BOTH THE ELEMENTS OF WHAT I SAID, IE THAT THE NEED TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF HONG KONG REMAINS STRONG, BUT THAT IT DOES NOT IN ANY WAY IMPLY GIVING A POLITICAL ROLE TO ANYONE OTHER THAN BRITAIN OR CHINA IN THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG. ALTHOUGH IT INEVITABLY (AND PERHAPS NOT UNHELPFULLY) LOOKS LIKE A

PROMPT RESPONSE TO THE CHINESE EDITORIAL, IT DOES NOT LOOK PARTICULARLY COMBATIVE.

•

3. WE AGREE THAT NEWS DEPARTMENT CAN HARDLY LEAVE THE CHINESE

CHARGES UNANSWERED AT THE 21 NOVEMBER PRESS CONFERENCE AND AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO SPEAK AS YOU SUGGEST. NEWS DEPARTMENT COULD, IF THEY WISH, DRAW ATTENTION TO WHAT I HAVE ALREADY SAID. WHETHER NEWS DEPARTMENT DO THIS AS A FORMAL STATEMENT, OR AS BRIEFING IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS, DEPENDS, WE SUPPOSE, ON THE DEGREE OF INTEREST IN THE BRITISH PRESS, BUT THE LATTER MIGHT LOOK MARGINALLY LESS COMBATIVE.

4. LITTLE OF THE OTHER POINTS I MADE HAS SO FAR BEEN REPORTED IN

THE HONG KONG PRESS, THOUGH IT MAY YET BE IF THE PROFILE PIECES

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