Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Deferred
Restore and initiate BBC World Service coverage in discontinued and new Indo-Pacific languages.
Recommendation
While welcoming the extra £20 million to be spent on the BBC World Service, including for protecting the 42 foreign languages in which it broadcasts, we recommend that World Service coverage should be restored in languages which have been discontinued (Malay and Hokkien) and initiated in important Indo-Pacific languages in which the World Service has not yet broadcast (Khmer and Lao). (Paragraph 48) Strategy for the People’s Republic of China
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the committee's support for increased economic engagement with the Indo-Pacific region and discusses its importance for global growth and UK prosperity, without addressing the specific recommendation regarding BBC World Service language coverage.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
18. The Government agrees and welcomes the Committee’s support for its increased economic engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. The Indo-Pacific is the engine of global growth; expected to account for 54% of global GDP growth between 2021 and 2050. The UK aims to capitalise on its growth and dynamism to support UK prosperity.