TNAG-2456-FCO40-3577-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-presentation-1992 — Page 36

Hi Baght

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9 October 1992

1. Copy

M M

Foreign &

Commonwealth

Office

Mr We London SW1A 2AH

HKD Ws9

Mr Llewellyn Government House

Jean Stephen, 2. men

Mire Edlunder

Harp Kong (by fax)

HONG KONG: INITIAL REACTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH

The overall response to the Governor's 7 October

speech has been positive in the British media and in Hong Kong (the speech got 75% and 80% approval ratings in the first two opinion polls published in Hong Kong). First Chinese reactions have been critical but fairly restrained.

Most British nwespapers have judged the speech a bold and imaginative plan for developing democracy within the constraints of the Basic Law: "a long shot, but a bold and

imaginative one which deserves to succeed" (FT) "a

brilliant, eloquent debut" (Times); "Mr Patten has done a

great deal to raise Hong Kong's morale" (Telegraph). There is a widespread assumption that we will not press our demand for more directly-elected seats. Commentators have admired the ingenuity of the alternative proposals to

broaden the franchise for the new functional

constituencies:

several papers see this as an "indirect

route to direct elections" (Guardian). There has been a

cooler reaction to the Governor's proposals not to appoint

Martin Lee and other liberals to ExCo. Most leaders have

also made the point that much will depend on whether the

Governor and Hong Kong have the stomach to stand up to a

hostile Chinese reaction.

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