C
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The Secretary of State agreed to give written answers and suggested that Mr Lynch send in questions in the latter part of January.
5. Mr Lynch has written back asking for an interview on the grounds that this would be more personal. He says that he might send over a reporter, should the Secretary of State agree to an interview. In his original letter he said that the London correspondent, David Healy, would conduct the interview.
6. The Secretary of State has already agreed to sign an article for the Oriental Daily News, Hong Kong's largest circulating Chinese-language daily. If we were to offer a face-to-face interview to the South China Sunday Morning Post we might be open to charges of discriminating between the English and Chinese language press in Hong Kong. I see no other reason for the Secretary of State to offer an interview.
7.
I attach a draft reply from Mr Cornish to Mr Lynch.
For Bett
Sara Everett
News Department