LUNCAID LONDON PODROME LONDON
CHONGAID
1000
t:་
5 JULA
NT CLAIR
D C AND I HONG KONG 0506407
CLASSIFIED
DJ IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON (FOR KIDD) TELEX 1) L55 OF 5 JUNE INFO PRIORITY GENEVA (FOR PEARSON) BRUSSELS (FOR
ODCE) WASHINGTON FOR HERMANN).
THE FOLLOWING ARE STATEMENTS MADE IN HONGKONG IN RESPONSE TO #P. CALLACHAN'S REMARKS ABOUT HONGKONG IN HIS SPEECH IN BRUSSELS TO THE EFC COUNCIL OF MINISTER ON MAY. FOR ANY ACTION YOU DEEM
1 PROPRIATE.
STATEMENT BY DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY,
MR. J.D. MCGREGOR.
ASSURANCE BY MR. CALLAGHAN. THE U.K.WILL SEEK TO REMOVE DISCRIMINATION ACAINST HONG KONG.
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THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT IS VERY PLEASED WITH THE LID SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG INDICATED BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, M CALLAGHAN, IN LUXEMBOURG YESTERDAY. THE STRONGLY WORDED
·
ASSURANCE WHICH HE GAVE THAT THE HONG KONG CASE FOR REMOVAL OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG IN THE EEC GENERALIZED PREFERENCES SCHEME WOULD RE SUPPORTED BY BRITAIN WAS MOST WELCOME AT THIS TIME.
''THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN EVERY POSSIBLE STEP DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS TO SEEK REMOVAL OF THE DISCRIMINATION ACAINST OUR TEXTILES AND FOOTWEAR IN THE EEC SCHEME'' MR. MCGREGOR SAID, THIS ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN AT ALL LEVELS OF AUTHORITY FROM .OVERNOR DOWN. WE HAD AN ASSURANCE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S
UPPORT FOR OUR CASE LAST NOVEMBER WHEN MR.DAVIES, THEN CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER TOLD THE EEC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS THAT THE UK WOULD PRESS "MOST RESOLUTELY,'' FOR THE REMOVAL OF
ISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG FROM 1975 ONWARDS. BUT THIS FURTHER STATEMENT BY MR. CALLACHAN MUST BE VIEWED AS A FIRM ACLARATION OF INTENT BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND AS SUCH IT SHOULD BE WELCOMED BY ALL HONG KONG TRADE AND INDUSTRY,
THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY DIFFICULT TASK FOR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT U HE SAID, AND WE MUST NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE PROBLEM. By VERTHELESS, MR. CALLAGHAN'S STATEMENT PROVIDES A BASIS FOR
OPTIMISM''