203
AT NOW)
PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL
Office of the United Kingdom Permanent Representative
to the European Communities
Rond - Point Robert Schuman 6
1040 Brussels
Telephone 36.99.20
E. Youde Esq CMG MBE
FCO
LONDON SW1
.
Your reference
Our reference
Date
27h
See bly ram
Brussels
PLA
Dear
Joude,
HONG KONG REPRESENTATION IN BRUSSELS
1.
10/6
David Jordan, the Hong Kong Director of Commerce and Industry, came to Brussels yesterday. At his request I had a talk with him over lunch. He said he wanted my personal views on future representation of the Hong Kong Government in Brussels.
2. He mentioned that he had already talked to you.
3.
Jordan clearly takes the view that Hong Kong is not well represented here at the moment. I refused to join in any process of denigration of Patrick Dodge, the present representative, who is, I believe, a direct employee of the Hong Kong Government and not a seconded officer from the FCO. Dodge is housed in the Embassy, not in this representation. The direct concerns of the Hong Kong Government with the Commission and all its works cover a relatively narrow field - generalised preferences, textiles and similar trade issues. There was a limit, as I saw it, to the work which Dodge could usefully do since he could not be forever sitting on the doorstep of the few Commission officials who deal with these trade subjects.
He had it in
4.
Jordan said he accepted this but he felt that the "Hong Kong case" tended to go by default because insufficient was done to dissipate the general impression current here that Hong Kong was a floating factory capable of undermining a range of Community industries by excessively competitive sales methods. mind that the Hong Kong representative should not confine his activities to Brussels but should make a point of getting round the capitals of member states to spread the good news that Hong Kong's exports represented no significant threat to Community industries. For this purpose he thought that Dodge should stay here but that someone else should be appointed, at ministerial level, both to supervise him and to provide the necessary status and drive to improve the Hong Kong image. For this purpose he had in mind a former colonial secretary in the Hong Kong Government,
He asked me what now retired, by name of Burgess (who is 62). I thought of this.
/5. I
PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL