226
COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
The public relations section organised a travelling exhibition, entitled 'Hong Kong - Into the Future', which was designed to show how Hong Kong is continuing to invest heavily in the future. The exhibition was mounted at the London headquarters of the Institute of Directors, the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, the Standard Chartered Bank, and Cathay Pacific Airways, as well as at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Commonwealth Institute. It was later erected in the public concourses of the airports at the latter coinciding with the Edinburgh, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Manchester
www.zam
inauguration of British Airways' direct service between Manchester and Hong Kong. An updated version of the exhibition, including new material on the enlarged Legislative Council, was mounted in the House of Commons at the beginning of the new session of Parliament, in November.
In common with the London Office, the Hong Kong Government Offices in New York and Brussels were kept busy catering to media interest in Hong Kong.
The New York office handles news and publicity in the United States and Canada. It issues material for use in the media, both print and electronic, answers queries, arranges publicity for important visitors from Hong Kong, and monitors reporting and com- mentary in North America of relevance to Hong Kong. Since its establishment in late 1983, the unit's work has increased considerably, with 1985 being particularly busy, largely through involvement in the public debate on protectionism in trade and the continuing interest shown in the future of Hong Kong and its relevance to the United States.
The Brussels office is responsible, among other things, for the government's publicity efforts in the 12 member states of the European Community except the United Kingdom. The office's information section works closely with GIS both to provide material on Hong Kong matters in response to queries from the European media and to provide briefings for journalists visiting Hong Kong. It also distributes feature articles and news releases to selected media contacts as well as providing a more general enquiry and information service for members of the public, particularly business travellers, tourists and students.
Information Policy
The Secretary for Administrative Services and Information has overall policy responsibility for the government's relations with the media. The main aim is to keep the media informed of the government's policies and thinking, as well as forthcoming events and proposed legislation, thus providing a valuable means of communication with the general public. On this front, the Administrative Services and Information Branch is responsible for co-ordina- ting the work of the Government Information Services, Radio Television Hong Kong and the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority. Apart from formulating policy on a wide range of information and broadcasting matters, the Secretary for Administrative Services and Information advises the government on the presentation of its policies and on public relations matters generally.
Overseas Public Relations
The Liaison Division of the Administrative Services and Information Branch is res- ponsible for overseas public relations matters. In this it serves as a point of contact between the government's overseas offices and non-government bodies such as the Trade Development Council, the Hong Kong Tourist Association, chambers of commerce and consulates and commissions. An Overseas Public Relations Group comprising government and non-government representatives co-ordinates overseas public relations activities.