CONFIDENTIAL
127102 MDHIA 5589
4. THE PRESS-MEDIA GAVE VERY FULL COVERAGE TO MY STATEMENT AND OUR FOLLOW-UP PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORT. SUPPORTIVE STATEMENTS FROM EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE HELPFUL; AS WAS THE ABSENCE OF ANY OVERREACTION FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. OF THE 15 EDITORIALS IN TODAY'S NEWSPAPERS, THREE WERE HOSTILE (THE COMMUNIST PRESS), FOUR WERE SUPPORTIVE AND EIGHT MIGHT BE CHARACTERISED AS UNDERSTANDING BUT ANXIOUS. THE ORIENTAL DAILY, FOR EXAMPLE, ARGUED THAT THE TWO SIDES SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH AGREEMENT ON THE VOTING SYSTEM FOR THE 1995 LEGCO ELECTIONS AND THAT THIS ISSUE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SCUPPER THE TALKS. THE TIN TIN DAILY CALLED FOR A COOLING-OFF PERIOD. SING PAO URGED THE CHINESE SIDE TO KEEP TALKING AND THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL DREW SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM WHAT IT SAW AS A FAIRLY MUTED PRC REACTION.
5. THE COMMUNIST-BACKED NEWSPAPERS TOED THE PARTY LINE I.E. IF I GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE THE BILL ON 15 DECEMBER, THE TALKS WILL COME TO AN END AND BRITAIN MUST BEAR ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONSEQUENCES. ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES, ACCORDING TO MFA SPOKESMAN, MIGHT BE DAMAGE TO SINO-BRITISH ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION. ONE FAMILIAR THEME IN THE PRC'S RESPONSE HAS BEEN THE THREE-LEGGED STOOL ARGUMENT I.E. WE ARE TURNING LEGCO INTO A QUOTE SEMI- INDEPENDENT POLITICAL ENTITY UNQUOTE.
6.
SING TAO PUBLISHED THE RESULTS OF AN OPINION POLL IN WHICH 48% OF RESPONDENTS SUPPORTED MY DECISION TO PRESENT THE FIRST STAGE BILL TO LEGCO AND 32% OPPOSED IT. A HONG KONG UNIVERSITY SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTRE POLL RECORDED 2 TO 1 SUPPORT FOR INTRODUCING THE BILL, ALTHOUGH THE ''DON'T KNOW' RATE WAS VERY HIGH AT 40%.
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7.
THE HANG SENG INDEX GAINED A MODEST 56 POINTS DURING THE DAY. A REFLECTION OF THE FACT THAT MY STATEMENT CONTAINED NOTHING WHICH THE MARKET AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAD NOT ALREADY DISCOUNTED.
COMMENT
8 =
HONG KONG SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN YESTERDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT IN ITS STRIDE. OUR EFFORT TO PREPARE THE COMMUNITY HELPED, AS DID THE RELATIVELY MEASURED RESPONSE FROM PRC SPOKESMEN. WE EXPECT THEM TO PUT CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE ON THE LIBERAL PARTY AND SOME OF THE INDEPENDENTS IN LEGCO IN THE WEEKS AHEAD AND IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER OUR SUPPORT IN LEGCO AND THE COMMUNITY HOLDS UP.
PATTEN
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