COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
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Overseas Public Relations
Hong Kong's overseas public relations efforts are centred round London, North America, Europe and Japan.
London
The News and Public Relations Unit of the Hong Kong Government Office in London works closely with GIS to provide a press service on Hong Kong matters for the British media and for Hong Kong journalists based in the United Kingdom. It also provides enquiry and information services for the public about events and developments in Hong Kong. The unit maintains close contact with journalists from both national and regional media, briefs and helps plan programmes for media visiting Hong Kong, and assists visiting journalists from Hong Kong. It organises a panel of speakers of about 100 former government officers and businessmen who have retired to Britain.
The News Section monitors British parliamentary proceedings and media coverage of Hong Kong affairs and keeps the Hong Kong Government informed on a daily basis. It also publishes a newsletter, Dateline Hong Kong, which is distributed among organisations and individuals with a close interest in Hong Kong.
The year brought unprecedented media coverage of Hong Kong, peaking with the China crisis but also sustained by the Vietnamese boat people problem and visits to London by the Governor.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) inquiry into the implemen- tation of the Sino-British Agreement on the future of Hong Kong led to heightened interest in developments in the territory. The News Section provided Hong Kong with up-to-the- minute reports of the FAC hearings.
Regular briefings on the Vietnamese boat people issue were also given to the media and assistance provided to journalists who visited Hong Kong to report on the problem.
North America
North America is covered by information units in the government's Economic and Trade Offices located in New York and San Francisco. These offices provide a general news and information service for the media and work with GIS to produce special news releases, features and articles tailored to the needs of American publications.
Emphasis is placed on regular liaison with representatives of the media in all the major centres, particularly in relation to questions applying to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the steps being taken to ensure a smooth transfer of sovereignty, and the Vietnamese refugee problem. Hong Kong's role as a major trading partner of the United States, and its status as a free and fair trader, is publicised, as is the danger posed to the territory's economy by protectionist legislation. The role of Hong Kong as an international financial centre and the reforms to the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong are also promoted.
The units monitor the North American news media and provide regular reports and analyses to the government on stories affecting the territory. A number of journalists who visited Hong Kong during the year were briefed and assisted in planning their programmes. Assistance was given to VIP visitors from Hong Kong, both in government and the private sector, including the arrangement of speaking engagements before influential academics, bankers, business and financial executives, investment companies, brokerages and the media.
The offices work with organisations such as the Asia Society to promote greater understanding of Hong Kong and its culture.
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