TNAG-2275-FCO40-3274-Hong-Kong-and-the-media-1991 — Page 95

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INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: PRESS COVERAGE: WEEKLY ROUNDUP

SUMMARY

1.

NOT MUCH NEWS RELATING TO HK'S FUTURE, THE PADS PROJECTS AND THE NATIONALITY ISSUE WAS REPORTED AS THE MEDIA FOCUSED THEIR

ATTENTION ON A CONTROVERSY OVER THE QUESTION OF WHETHER HK SHOULD

MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS BRITAIN'S GULF WAR BILL. IT WAS NOTED THAT CHINA HAD ADOPTED A LOW PROFILE IN THIS ISSUE BUT HAD THROUGH THE TWO LOCAL PRO-PEKING PAPERS, WEN WEI PO AND TA KUNG PAO, LAUNCHED AN ALL-OUT EFFORT AGAINST THE MOVE. THE TWO PAPERS CONTENDED THAT HK SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS IN USING TAXPAYERS' MONEY AND THAT IT SHOULD NOT GET INVOLVED IN THIS INTERNATIONAL CRISIS.

FUTURE

2. DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LU PING, SAID (6.2 REPORTS) THAT SINCE HK HAD ENTERED THE SECOND HALF OF THE TRANSITION, THE MAIN DUTY OF THE HKMAO WAS TO IMPLEMENT FULLY THE JD TO SAFEGUARD HK'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY AND TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997. HE ADDED THAT THE OFFICE WOULD TAKE FURTHER STEPS TO PROMOTE AND PUBLICISE THE BL IN HK. HE WAS QUOTED IN THE HK STANDARD (7.2) AS SAYING THAT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT FOR PEKING TO HAVE A SAY IN MAJOR HK CONCERNS THAT STRADDLED 1997. A FORMER HK BL DRAFTER, RAYMOND WU, SAID (6.2 REPORTS) THAT THE CONTINUITY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE WAS A KEY ELEMENT AFFECTING A SMOOTH TRANSFER, WHICH WOULD IN TURN ENSURE HK'S SOCIAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. CONTINUED INDUSTRIAL ACTION BY CIVIL SERVANTS WOULD UNDERMINE THE TERRITORY'S STABILITY IN THE RUN-UP TO 1997.

SINO-HK RELATIONS

3. TA KUNG PAO (7.2) QUOTED A UNIVERSITY OF HK LECTURER, WONG

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