Mr Stewart
Reference.
VISIT TO HONG KONG:
MEETING WITH MR KINNEAR, SENIOR
BRITISH TRADE COMMISSIONER
As you will be seeing Mr Kinnear at the meeting of the Hong Kong Trade Advisory Group later today, you may like to have a note of the topics which came up when I saw Mr Kinnear in Hong Kong on 28 June.
Mass Transit System
The electrical and mechanical engineering contracts were still to be awarded when I called on Mr Kinnear and he was busy with last minute consultations with Mr Thompson of the Mass Transit Authority. The contracts have since been awarded and there is nothing more to be said.
Housing for the BTC Staff
i
}
Mr Kinnear has been trying for some time to arrange alternative residential, accommodation for himself and other members of the BTC in order to achieve savings on the present rented accommodation. ASD lead on this subject and Mr Kinnear is going to call on them while on leave. I said that we would keep an eye on the question, as we have done in the past.
UK/Hong Kong Trade
Mr Kinnear said that the sterling export figures for the first four months of this year showed an increase of 25% in UK exports as viewed from the UK end but a reduction of 2% as viewed from the Hong Kong end. The explanation was that the volume of exports had stayed about the same but the value had increased owing to the fall in the value of sterling. Non-ferrous and electrical machinery remained the largest UK export items.
Supply of Equipment for the Hong Kong Polytechnic and the Technical Institutes
Mr Kinnear said that the four Technical Institutes, for which HMG has made a grant of £400,000, would be fitted out with largely British equipment. The Polytechnic, for which HMG has made a grant of £500,000, had decided against accepting a package equipment deal offered by the Cohen 600 Group but was still likely to use largely British equipment.
Commonwealth franchise for municipal transport
-
Mr Kinnear said that, after some uncertainty, it had been decided that the Kowloon Motor Bus Company and the China Motor Bus Company the two bus operators in Hong Kong - should continue to be bound by the previous requirement that they should purchase their vehicles from Commonwealth countries. This meant, in practice, that they would continue to "buy British" in the shape of Leyland buses.
/I