NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified,
PRIVACY MARKING
...In Confidence
DRAFT MINUTE
To:-
Sir Arthur Galsworthy
c.c. Mr. Moreton
Type 1 +
From
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
The Americans show zigns of benig Renticularly slow to come forward Bas
at lemt in can jaz that move has so for specifically Excluded Hong Kong fam then list of peneficiaries. The Position is their from
Mont
Your endorsement on FCO telegram no. 157 to
Canberra, copy attached.
2.
I am afraid that we cannot be sure that Hong
Kong will be accepted as a "developing country". At present the policy of self-election applies (as agreed by OECD at Ministerial level) and Hong Kong is
obviously content with this. The indications are against any direct challenge to her status (which would be most awkward for us). But even if Hong Kong gains acceptance as a developing country, there are certain to be reservations on the part of a number
of donor countries. Whatever form of discrimination
against Hong Kong is resorted to, we can be fairly
certain that Hong Kong's position will suffer some
erosion.
not all the developed counturs have made then
3.
So far we have seen only the offers of preferen- ces, which the EEC will be making (and this off the record). In this offer there will be no definitive
list of benefisiaries but preferences will be dealt
with on a case by case basis, which may amount to
selective exelusion or limitations of particular countries'—preduets,.. the horse trading has still to take place when there will be opportunity to argue Hong Kong's case.
4. In the past Hong Kong has taken the view that
her interests would not be suited by a scheme of
generalised preferences. She prefers the protection of the most favoured nation principle of the GATTA and Commonwealth preferences. However, she knows that there must be a scheme and we are fully
informed as to the extent to which her interests are
best served by the various alternative possibilities.
Mr. Jones
is of
of course carefully watching
The Colony's interests in Geneva.
Ove
(118281) Dd. 391599 1,500м 2/69 Hw.