TNAG-2177-FCO40-3114-Hong-Kong-Bill-of-Rights-1990 — Page 160

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INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON

INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, UKMIS GENEVA INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO GENEVA INFO ROUTINE HKGO SAN

FRANCISCO

HONG KONG AGREEMENT : PRESS COVERAGE : WEEKLY ROUNDUP

SUMMARY

1. THE GOVERNOR'S ANNUAL POLICY ADDRESS DREW EXTENSIVE COVERAGE: MANY REPORTS FOCUSED ON THE PART ON SINO-HK RELATIONS AND THE AIRPORT. THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE SELECTION CRITERIA OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE WAS ALSO REPORTED WIDELY.

GOVERNOR'S ANNUAL POLICY ADDRESS

2. MANY REPORTS (11.10), IN PARTICULAR THE LEFT-WING PRESS, HIGHLIGHTED THE GOVERNOR'S EMPHASIS ON SINO-HK RELATIONS. THEY QUOTED THE GOVERNOR AS SAYING THAT THE NEARER HK GOT TO 1997, THE GREATER THE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS WELL-INFORMED ON IMPORTANT MATTERS OF POLICY WHICH WOULD EXTEND

BEYOND 1997.

3. RESPONDING TO THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS, AN NCNA HK BRANCH OFFICIAL SAID THAT CHINA HAD ALWAYS WELCOMED EXCHANGES WITH HK AND THAT CHINA'S CONCERN OVER HK'S TRANSITION WAS NOT INTERVENTION IN HK AFFAIRS. CHINA'S OPPOSITION TO THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS DID NOT STEM FROM MISUNDERSTANDING BUT WAS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE.

4. SOME OMELCO MEMBERS AGREED THAT EXCHANGES BETWEEN HK AND CHINA SHOULD BE INCREASED. SOME FELT THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD FAILED TO OFFER CONCRETE SOLUTIONS TO HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEMS. SOME FELT THAT HK SHOULD MAKE ITS OWN DECISIONS AND SHOULD NOT ALLOW CHINA TO INTERFERE. HK UNIVERSITY READER ZEE SZE-YONG EXPECTED THAT SINO-HK RELATIONS WOULD BECOME CLOSER IN FUTURE. POLYTECHNIC PRINCIPAL LECTURER PRISCILLA LAU DESCRIBED AS PRAGMATIC THE GOVERNOR'S SUGGESTION THE CIVIL SERVANTS SHOULD BE TRAINED TO UNDERSTAND CHINA. BAPTIST COLLEGE LECTURER HUANG CHIH-LIEN SAID

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