PRIORITY

HER CAT A

FN TOKYO 03090OZ

CONFIDENT I AL

NEUTRAL]

CONFIDENTIAL

LABT

REF.

166.`

TO FRIORITY FCO TELNO 425 OF 3 JUNE INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE WASHINGTON

MY TELNO 421 ANGLO JAPANESE MINISTERIAL CONSULTATIONS

(GENERALISED PREFERENCES AND HONG KONG),

WHEN DISCUSSING THE AGENDA OF THE MINISTERIAL TALKS WITH THE

NEWLY APPOINTED HEAD OF THE SECOND WEST EUROPEAN AFFAIRS

DIVISION OF THE MYFA THIS AFTERNOON, COMMERCIAL COUNSELLOR

EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE JAPNESE GOVERNMENT WAS NOT

ONLY UNABLE TO GRANT HONG KONG GENERALISED PREFERENCES AT THE

SAME TIME AS OTHER COUNTRIES BUT WAS ALSO UNABLE TO GIVE A

FIRM UNDERTAKING ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT HONG KONG WOULD BE

INCLUDED IN THE FUTURE. MR KADOTA SAID WE SHOULD NOT TAKE

AS THE LAST WORD ON THIS THE PESSIMISTIC ACCOUNT WHICH WE

MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF THE OUTCOME OF A MEETING BETWEEN THE

BUREAU DIRECTORS GENERAL CONCERNED, MR AICHI WOULD PROBABLY

SAY NEXT WEEK THAT WHILE JAPAN WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO GIVE

PREFERENCES TO HONG KONG AT THE SAME TIME AS TO THE OTHER

COUNTRIES, SHE WOULD EXERT HER BEST EFFORTS TO MAKE THIS

''

POSSIBLE AT AT AN EARLY OPPORTUNITY'. THIS WAS IN MR

KADOTAS VIEW A MORE POSTIVE EXPRESSION THAN SIMPLY SAYING

THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF INCLUDING HONG KONG.

ASHE

[REPEATED TO WASHINGTON AND HONG KONG]

INTERNATIONAL TRADE DISTRIBUTION

TPD

الأثرية

HONG KO

N AM D RECOVED IN

REGISTRY No.51

16 JUN 1971

1 9 7)गत

CONFIDENTIAL

(170)

$3

L

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