TNAG-2769-FCO40-3986-Hong-Kong-and-the-media-interviews--press-briefings-and-the--1994 — Page 84

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INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, JLG HONG KONG, BIC HONG KONG

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FCO TELNO 734: BBC TIMEWATCH DOCUMENTARY: CHINESE STATEMENT

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1. Neither we nor the BBC had heard of any statement by the MFA (or any other) spokesman of the kind referred to in TUR. However,

we were telephoned this morning by the SCMP correspondent here who told us that in response to his questioning, the MFA had given him the following statement:

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"Chairman Mao is a great historical person who is loved by the whole Chinese people and respected by the People of the world. The personal attacks Launched against him with malicious slander and with mean tricks will not damage his historical position. On the contrary it will only expose the degeneracy of the journalistic ethics of the director of this documentary and show that he is hostile to China and Chinese people."

In response to furhter questioning, the MFA apparently told the SCMP that the BBC knew what the consequences would be if they went ahead and broadcast the documentary. They did not elaborate.

3. We repeated only that the Chinese Government had contacted us to express their concern about the documentary, both here and in London, and that we had told them that the BBC were an entirely independent organisation and that we had no power to influnce them.

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