GES 850 IMMEDIATE
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CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIAL
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TO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS TELNO 1794 OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1977
FOR BURGESS: PLEASE PASS TO GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
FOLLOWING IS RECORD OF MEETING WITH MINISTERS OF STATE
YESTERDAY.
THOSE PRESENT:
MR FRANK JUDD MP
THE RT HON LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS
MR M JENKINS
LAST
MR JAB STEWART OBE
MR JA STERN
HKK 121
1/616/1
RELATED A REGISTRY NO. 51
30 SEP 1977
DESK O MEIN
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Beton Take:
MISS C F C SINCLAIR
H.E. SIR M MACLEHOSE GBE, KCMG, KCVO, GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
ACTING DIRECTOR OF HONG KONG CUSTOMS, TRADE AND
MR 1. DORWORD,
INDUSTRY, HONG KONG.
MR WEBB-JOHNSON
MR D. BRAY, HONG KONG COMMISSIONER, LONDON.
SIR M MACLEHOSE SAID THAT THE PURPOSE OF HIS VISIT TO LONDON WAS TO EXPLAIN THE SERIOUS EFFECT OF THE COMMISSION'S RECENT PROPOSALS ON TEXTILES WOULD HAVE ON HONG KONG. HE BELIEVED THAT THE DETAILS HAD NOT YET BEEN SETTLED IN THE COMMUNITY. HE WANTED TO PUT HONG KONG'S CASE BEFORE DECISIONS WERE FINALLY TAKEN. HE WOULD BE SEEING MR DELL ON 27 SEPTEMBER, AND WOULD TRAVEL TO BRUSSELS THE SAME DAY TO TALK TO COMMISSIONER HAFERKAMP.
AS HE UNDERSTOOD IT, THE COMMUNITIES GLOBAL CEILINGS FOR TEXTILES WOULD REDUCE 1978 QUOTAS TO THE LEVEL OF COMMUNITY IMPORTS IN 1976. IN THE CASE OF 8 HIGHLY SENSITIVE TEXTILE ITEMS, FOR CERTAIN COUNTR THE PROPOSED CUTBACK INCLUDING HONG KONG WOULD ACTUALLY GO BELOW THE LEVEL OF 1976 IMPORTS. THESE EIGHT ITEMS CONSTITUTED 60% OF HONG KONG'S TEXTILE EXPORTS TO THE COMMUNITY. THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSED CUTBACK IN HONG KONG'S TRADE WAS WORTH
£ 60 MILLION,
CONFIDENTIAL
/APART