TNAG-2276-FCO40-3275-Hong-Kong-and-the-media-1991 — Page 80

(situation)

1

What's the achiation?

RESTRICTED

FROM:

DATE:

CC:

HAM

Hkg 301 низ

Sir JohnEcoles

3 May-1991

Miss Spencer Mr Burns Mr Paul, HKD

Kl

201/1

1991

83

Mr Harris, Information Department

MY LUNCH WITH CONTROLLER, ENGLISH SERVICES,

1.

BBC WORLD SERVICE

Thank you for the attached minute. I lunched with Ms Smith and a large team from the BBC World Service today.

2.

The

The discussion of Australasia was relatively brief. BBC team said that while they considered it was valuable to broadcast to Australasia they often encountered doubts in the FCO about this. I said that from my personal experience I thought there was a valuable service that the BBC could perform but it was met by their very successful and recent re-broadcasting service.

3.

The discussions then broadened to my other areas of responsibility. No commitments were sought or given.

Ms Smith raised the question of the future of the expensive (£10 million) transmitter in Hong Kong. She said that some

people were urging that everything possible should be done to like what?

ensure that the transmitter can remain in use after 1997 and that the aim should be to make it difficult for the Chinese to remove it. Others argued that the transmitter would have to be removed in 1997. I said that this was not an issue which had come to my notice yet but that I thought it important that it should be carefully considered with the FCO and that the Hong Kong Government might have an input to make. Ms Smith took the point. It may well be that there have been some lower level discussions between the Office and the BBC. But certainly the senior management team at the lunch gave no impression of having considered it very carefully.

Ms Saup 0324/5

pl speak

19/5

JC1ACG

fol Cole.

JOHN COLES

RESTRICTED

"sights soherty,

on

1. Could you

not

necessarily

pake Mon on plo.

2. A short misnute from the

Paul & Mr Burns explaining

to background to the BBC Transmitta (BBC sector in Info. sept. shd. have some papers) go. What sove of broadcasts it paus rits to

K. Sand 2015