TNAG-2767-FCO40-3984-Hong-Kong-and-the-media-interviews--press-briefings-and-the--1993 — Page 63

RESTRICTED

FM PEKING

TO TELELETTER HONG KONG

TELELETTER

(NFR)

OF 250415Z MARCH 93

AND TO TELELETTER FCO

RESTRICTED

HKB 301/1 RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

29 MAD 1003

P:

DESK OFICER

REGISTRY

IN

PA

Action Taken

74

113572

MDTTAN 9218

CORRECTED VERSION PARA 2 LINE 7

FROM

TELELETTER

N J COX

NFR OF 25 MARCH 1993

FOLLOWING FOR W G EHRMAN ESQ, POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG COPIED TO: P F RICKETTS ESQ, HKD, FCO

1. TEDIOUS AS IT MUST BE FOR OUR COLLEAGUES IN LONDON TO READ THE

TURGID PRONOUNCEMENTS OF CHINESE OFFICIALS AND THE CHINESE

PROPAGANDA MACHINE, IT MUST BE EVEN WORSE WHEN THEY GET DOUBLE DOSES OF THE SAME ITEM FROM YOU AND FROM US. THE LATEST EXAMPLE IS THE FIRST TWO PARAGRAPHS OF HONG KONG TEL NO 467 REPORTING REMARKS MADE BY QIAN QICHEN AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HERE REPORTED IN OUR TEL NOS

412 AND 420.

1

2.

MUCH THAT APPEARS IN THE HONG KONG PRESS FROM PEKING SOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE OFFICIAL MEDIA HERE, AND I SUPPOSE IT IS BETTER TO REPORT TOO MUCH RATHER THAN TOO LITTLE THE BELT AND BRACES PRINCIPLE. MOREVER GIS HAVE THE RESOURCES TO PROVIDE TRANSCRIPTS AND TRANSLATIONS OF LONG STATEMENTS MORE QUICKLY THAN WE CAN (THOUGH WE WON THE RACE OVER THE MFA SPOKESMAN'S REMARKS OF

12 MARCH OUR TEL NO 363 AND HONG KONG TEL NO 406 EXCLAM). BUT WE THINK WE SHOULD TRY TO AVOID DUPLICATION AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. A TELEPHONE CALL WOULD SUFFICE TO CHECK WHETHER WE HAVE RECEIVED AND

WHETHER WE ARE REPORTING ANY PARTICULAR ITEM.

3 I AM COPYING THIS TL TO PETER RICKETTS.

·

SIGNED NIGEL COX

YYYY

1

PAGE

RESTRICTED