UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 383
OF 05102OZ FEBRUARY 91
76
013300
MDLIAN 6136
UNCLASSIFIED
Mi
Mars 301|1
TOP COPY
Q DIST?
A
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. LORD CAITHNESS' VISIT TO HONG KONG WAS GIVEN A GOOD RUN BY THE MEDIA. OTHER NEWS ITEMS RELATING TO THE TERRITORY'S FUTURE, AIRPORT PROJECT AND THE NATIONALITY ISSUE WERE MODERATELY REPORTED.
2. LORD CAITHNESS SAID THAT THERE WAS MORE AGREEMENT THAN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA ON HONG KONG. IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE CHINESE AGREED THAT AN EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT WAS NECESSARY IN THE TERRITORY. IN TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, IT WAS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, WITH THE FULL SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, THAT WAS TO RUN HONG KONG BEFORE 1997. HE ADDED THAT THROUGH A STEADY AND INTENSIFIED DIALOGUE, AND PROBLEM WHICH AROSE WOULD BE EFFECTIVELY SOLVED BUT THAT ANY SUCH DIALOGUE SHOULD BE BEST HELD IN CLOSED DOORS. HE TOLD THE PRESS THAT THE DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LU PING, WOULD VISIT THE TERRITORY IN MARCH, ADDING THAT RECIPROCAL VISITS BY CHINESE AND HONG KONG OFFICIALS WOULD HELP IMPROVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. WEN WEI PO (2.2) SAID THAT LU PING'S PREDECESSOR, JI PENGFEI, WOULD ALSO COME TO HONG KONG ON MARCH 2. A CPPCC DELEGATE, TIN YICK-MAN, WAS QUOTED (30.1) IN A HONG KONG CHINA NEWS AGENCY INTERVIEW AS SAYING THAT LORD CAITHNESS SHOULD TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE RESULTS OF HONG KONG GOVERNOR SIR DAVID WILSON'S VISIT TO PEKING AND THAT HONG KONG WAS TREATING HIS VISIT IN A LOW-KEY MANNER IN AN ATTEMPT TO HANDLE SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS MORE CAREFULLY. SINO-HONG KONG RELATIONS WERE HEADING TOWARDS BETTER DEVELOPMENT.
SINO-HONG KONG RELATIONS
3. THE PAPERS (30.1) REPORTED THAT THE TIMES OF LONDON, IN A STRONGLY-WORDED EDITORIAL, CRITICISED THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT FOR MEDDLING IN HONG KONG AFFAIRS TOO EARLY AND POINTED OUT THAT PEKING'S' LATEST INTERVENTION OVER PADS EXPLOITED THE LEVERAGE
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