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The closing

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THE closure of the Kuomintang-owned Hongkong Times this week not only leaves the already dwindling KMT followers in Hongkong in disarray, but also has wider implications for Taipei's future relationship with Hongkong and Beijing.

The first hint of a shutdown of the KMT mouthpiece came last April from a senior party official after an evaluation of the 43-year-old newspaper, which had been losing some HK$20 million a year.

The report also noted it would be costly to rejuvenate the publication, which it concluded had fulfilled its ''historical mission'' and could be replaced by other Taiwanese newspapers and magazines available in Hongkong.

The matter dragged on in the face of fierce opposition from Hongkong's pro-Taipei forces, notably director of the Free China Review, Miss Suzie Chiang.

Insiders said it was not until recent weeks, after Premier Hau Pei-tsun's stepping down was settled, that the recommendation to wind up the Hongkong Times was put forward to President Mr Lee Teng-hui for approval.

Taipei's top representative in Hongkong, Mr John Ni, who heads the Chung Hwa Travel Service, and Taipei-appointed managing director of the newspaper, Miss Gertrude Su, both stressed that it was solely a business consideration.

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