COUNCIL
CONFIDENTIAL
Mr Thomas ? yoursor Yes Stoddarts?
BOARD OF TRADE,
I, VICTORIA STREET,
LONDON S.W.I
1176/4
12th September, 1969
18
Dear McKelvie таклый
On 19th August you wrote to Miss Muskett (who is on leave) about the indian representations over Hong Kong's tariff on imports of unmanufactured tobacco and the Aide Memoire they left with us. I think perhaps you were not then aware that Mr. Bharadwaj of the Indian High Commission sent a reminder on the 12th August requesting an early reply, adding for good measure that we should stress to Hong Kong the importance of the preferential treatment India accords her exports and the consequential reciprocal obligations "which would naturally evolve on the Hong Kong Government."
Accordingly I have tried my hand at a draft based on the legal advice in your letter of 19th August. For a number of reasons I think this should be despatched by the F.C.O. - it is after all the Hong Kong Government rather than H.M.G. that the Indians are criticising and if the Indians should wish to continue the debate, we should have to conduct this on a legal/ political basis in which U.K. commercial relations with either of the protagonists will only play a small part.
I have deliberately tried to keep the reply short and to the point, because of the Indians' habit of making debating points out of small issues. If you send the reply via India House, you may wish to ask Mr. Bharadwaj what he means by his reference to India's preferential treatment for Hong Kong imports. Our understanding is that she does not in fact retain
any.
I am copying to Peter Vereker and Ian Murray.
Your twen
LAST
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J. N. McKelvie, Esq.,
(A.F.Toms)
Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
Trade Policy Department,
Downing Street,
S.W.1.
CONFIDENTIAL