TNAG-2043-FCO40-2911-Visits-by-Francis-Maude--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-C-1990 — Page 37

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 06090OZ FCO

TELNO 1183

OF 06073OZ APRIL 90

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

371

163712

MDHIAN 7660

HIB 024/18

RECEIVED IN

RECEIVES LAB

5

9 APR 1990

FRY

DESM

IND

MR. MAUDE'S VISIT: HONG KONG MOOD

CONFIDENCE: GENERAL

1.

PUBLIC OPINION POLLS HAVE RECORDED ONLY SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT IN CONFIDENCE OVER THE LOW REACHED IN JUNE 1989. THE MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING CONFIDENCE CONTINUE TO BE EVENTS IN CHINA AND CHINA'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS HONG KONG. THIS IS REFLECTED BY THE CONTINUING HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO PERCEIVE THE FUTURE TO BE A PROBLEM, WHILST CONVERSELY THE POLLS SHOW AN INCREASING DEGREE OF SATISFACTION OVER GOVERNMENT'S HANDLING OF ISSUES WITHIN HONG KONG. BECAUSE OF 1997, DOMESTIC EVENTS AND ISSUES NOW HAVE LESS IMPACT ON CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE THAN THEY WOULD PREVIOUSLY HAVE HAD.

2. CHINA'S HANDLING OF THE BASIC LAW AND MORE ANTAGONISTIC ATTITUDE TOWARDS HONG KONG HAVE CAUSED WIDESPREAD CONCERN AND HAVE INCREASED INTEREST IN EMIGRATION AND OBTAINING AN INSURANCE POLICY' IN THE FORM OF A PASSPORT. GRASSROOTS INTEREST IN THE BASIC LAW ITSELF HAS BEEN MINIMAL. IN THE MEDIA THE PROMULGATION OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITY SCHEME HAS OVERSHADOWED THE NPC'S ADOPTION OF THE BASIC LAW. FEELINGS ABOUT EVENTS IN PEKING LAST YEAR ARE STILL DEEP SEATED ALTHOUGH WILLINGNESS TO DEMONSTRATE IN PUBLIC HAS BEEN MUTED BY CHINA'S HARD LINE ATTITUDE. ON 5 APRIL (THE CHING MING FESTIVAL) A PROCESSION AND DEMONSTRATION OF UP TO 5,000 PEOPLE TOOK PLACE TO COMMEMORATE THOSE KILLED LAST YEAR IN PEKING. CHAI LING 'S REPORTED ESCAPE TO FRANCE ALSO HELPED TO REVIVE MEMORIES OF LAST YEAR'S EVENTS.

PERCEPTIONS OF BRITAIN

3. TELEPHONE POLLS AND OTHER FEEDBACK REPORTS WHICH SHOW AN INCREASING DEGREE OF SATISFACTION IN THE HANDLING OF ISSUES IN WHICH HMG PLAYS A PART INDICATE THAT PERCEPTIONS OF THE UK HAVE IMPROVED. POSITIVE EFFORTS ON THE VBP PROBLEM, A PERCEIVED FIRMER LINE WITH THE CHINESE AND HMG'S COURAGE IN PURSUING THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE, DESPITE ATTENDANT DOMESTIC AND POLITICAL DIFFICULTY, HAVE

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CONFIDENTIAL