EMBARGO: Not for publication until 2 p.m. Friday 10 August.
TEXT OF SPEECH BY THE SENIOR BRITISH
TRADE COMMISSIONER (MR T W ASTON)
TO THE KOWLOON LIONS CLUB ON FRIDAY
10 August 1973.
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THE BACKGROUND
My main task in life (at present) is to promote British trade in Hong Kong. It is a task of fulfilment
but also of frustration. The frustration for us at the
British Trade Commission has been to see Britain's share of this market decline, against the trend of some of our main competitors and indeed against the trend of our performance in most of our other major markets like Europe and the United States where British exports are booming and reaching record levels. I feel that one reason for this may be some degree of mutual misunder- standing and misconception. In Hong Kong I believe there are misconceptions-if not among the majority at least anong too large a minority - of our capabilities and our motives, of the direction in which we are moving, and what this can mean to Hong Kong as a supplier and a customer. Conversely concepts of Hong Kong among some British exporters have been overtaken by the amazing ever accelerating pace of Hong Kong development.
I, therefore, see it as part of my role to try to correct the misconception in both directions. Trade is a two way affair. So also is the confidence, under- standing, and respect on which it is based.
I welcome this opportunity to share some thoughts on this with you, both as traders and as members of an organisation dedicated to the promotion of confidence, understanding and respect.
First I should like to paint the general backcloth in very broad terms of what we, UK and Hong Kong, each
mean to the other.
What Hong Kong means to UK has been recently evoluated by the Chamber of Commerce and given some headline treat- ment. No doubt most of you have seen the press reports and I assume that many of you have seen the Hong Kong
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