PRIORITY
་་་
OYER/CAD A
HONG KONG 0106302
ANFIDENTI AL
[NEUTRAL]
CONFIDENTIAL
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115
TO PRIORITY F.C.O. TELEGRAM NO. 227 OF REGISTRYNARICITY INFO TOKYO
GENERALISED PREFERENCES: HONG KONG.
RECEIVED IN
- 2 APR 1971
HILL6/1
YOUR TELEGRAM 254 TO ME AND TOKYO TELEGRAM 251 IQ YOU
100)
KSF.
105
REF.
PRESUMABLY WHAT IS NEEDED IS DOCUMENTATION ON THE SAME LINES AS FOR OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES. FOR INSTANCE, ON (A) I DO NOT
KNOW WHETHER IT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED APPROPRIATE TO PROVIDE COPIES
OF THE LETTERS PATENT AND ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS OR MERELY TO DESCRIBE
THE POSITION IN AN AIDE-MEMOIRE.
2. ON (B) WE CAN ONLY SAY THAT TRADE GENERALLY IS NOT REGULATED
AT ALL. SUCH LIMITED REGULATION AS EXISTS IS GENERALLY TO MEET
INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS (E.G. COCCM, RHODESIA) AND IS UNDER OUR
CYN LEGISLATION. WE CONTROL TRADE ONLY IN STRATEGIC GOODS, GOLD,
DANGEROUS DRUGS AND FIREARMS, APART FROM EXPORT RESTRAINTS ON TEXTILES, BASED ON OUR OWN AGREEMENTS WITH IMPORTING COUNTRIES. OUR SYSTEM FOR CERTIFICATION OF ORIGIN (COPIES OF CUR BOOKLET
WERE SENT TO WAKEFIELD ON 20 JANUARY) IS ALSO ADMINISTERED BY
HONG KONG AND PROTECTED BY HONG KONG LAW.
3. (C) AS YOU KNOW, SUCH EXCHANGE CONTROL AS WE HAVE IS THEORET- ICALLY OPERATED UNDER THE DEFENCE (FINANCE) REGULATIONS. BUT
A GENERAL LICENCE HAS BEEN ISSUED UNDER THE REGULATIONS AND SUCH CONTROLS AS WE OPERATE ARE BASED ON THE COOPERATION OF THE BANKS. WHAT THE JAPANESE ARE PRESUMABLY CONCERNED WITH IS WHETHER WE
ARE SUBJECT TO BANK OF ENGLAND CONTROL. TECHNICALLY WE ARE NOT,
AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
Le
5.
(D) WE HAVE NO RELIABLE STATISTICS ON ANY OF THESE.
(E)
(A) THE RATES OF DUTY ARE ALL ESTABLISHED UNDER HONG KONG'S DUTIABLE COMMODITIES ORDINANCE AND APPLY BOTH TO IMPORTS AND
TO DOMESTIC PRODUCTS. DUTY IS PAID ON ALL ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR, TOBACCO, HYDROCARBON CILS, AND TABLE WATERS. WHERE THERE IS A COMMONWEALTH PREFERENCE RATE (AS THERE IS FOR LIQUORS, AND FOR UNMANUFACTURED TOBACCO OF MALAWI ORIGIN ONLY AND FOR MANUFACTURED
CONFIDENTIAL
/TOBACCO) IT IS
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