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CONFIDENTIAL
OFFICE OF THE BRITISH SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE, SINO-BRITISH JOINT LIAISON GROUP
St John's Building
33 Garden Road
PO Box 528
HKD 301/5
RECE
- 3 AUG 1988
Hong Kong
Telephone 5-8682171, 5-8682416, 5-8682431, 5-8682435
CO Hum Esq
Hong Kong Department
FCO
Your reference
Our reference
Date 17 July 1988
>
7
Dear Christopher,
DEALING WITH THE PRESS
Let's discuss. I would like Treply fairly soon, consulting
and clearing
News Dept and mir Mr McLaren
1. In our first two weeks the JLG has, as anticipated, received a fair amount of press interest. I have seen all those who have asked to call, principally because there seemed no need to cloak our activities in secrecy, but also to avoid invidious comparisons with the Chinese: they gave a general invitation to the press to visit their office, something we could not do since we have no way of securely supervising a large gathering.
thie
2. None of the resultant publicity has been particularly prominent; some has been mischievous, some just muddled. It has in all cases been difficult however, in the context of a one-to-one interview, to remain within the confines of agreed lines without resorting rapidly to the shelter of the confidentiality provision in JD 196. Even then journalists can still ask questions about what HMG's line is on, for example, the Basic Law or the First SARG, where such a defence is not so readily available. Obviously the press are fairly used to a refusal to comment and do not expect more, but refusing to comment even off the record is however likely to end up giving this office a fairly negative image, and perhaps ultimately to reinforce suspicions that the JLG is promoting Anglo-Chinese closeness at the expense of Hong Kong. I have the impression that we attach rather less importance to the press here than for example in the UK, but you may not think this desirable.
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