CONFIDENTIAL
5. To everybody's surprise the Austrians signed the anti-dumping Code on 28 June this year, but they have not ratified their signature. In view of this the Board of Trade take the view that it would be tactically wrong for us to indicate that we are anxiously awaiting their ratification, in order to take them to task over Hong Kong. Once ratification has taken place, of course, we will be prepared to bring the Hong Kong question to the attention of the Austrians, this matter rests at present.
There
6. Hong Kong's main export to Austria is of womens' and girls' knitted woollen jackets and jumpers, of which Austria takes 1.5 per cent of Hong Kong's total exports of these items. Comparing the first half of 1968 with the same period of 1967, both Austrian and Hong Kong statistica show a drop of 75 per cent of Hong Kong imports in this field.
(I. R. Murray)
6 December, 1968.