4. WE HAVE PRESSED THE COMMISSION TO GIVE FULL DETAILED
CC: DERATION TO THE LATEST HONG KONG PROPOSALS JUST AS WE HAVE
ALWAYS ADVISED YOU TO GIVE SIMILAR CONSIDERATION TO THE
COMMUNITY'S PROPOSALS. THE PLAIN FACT IS THAT IF THE PRESENT
POSITION REPRESENTS THE LAST WORD ON EITHER SIDE, AND THERE IS
NO CHANCE OF REACHING AGREEMENT, THE RESULTING BREAKDOWN COULD
DAMAGE HONG KONG IN CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT
FOR THE UK ON ITS OWN TO RETRIEVE THE POSITION. THE VIEW AT
OFFICIAL LEVEL HERE, HOWEVER, IS THAT IF THERE IS SOME FURTHER
MOVEMENT FORWARD FROM HONG KONG'S LATEST PACKAGE THIS COULD
WELL BE RECIPROCATED BY SIMILAR MOVEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY
SIDE.
5. IF YOU STILL BELIEVE A PUBLIC STATEMENT IS ESSENTIAL (YOUR PARAGRAPH 4) THE VIEW HERE IS THAT IT SHOULD BE IN LOW KEY,
POSSIBLY ON THE FOLLOWING LINES:-
QUOTE WE KNOW THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS MOST CONCERNED
THAT THE COMMUNITY AND HONG KONG SHOULD REACH AGREEMENT ON
A NEW BILATERAL TEXTILE AGREEMENT. THERE IS CLEARLY A STRONG
HOPE THAT THE COMMISSION, WHO ARE NEGOTIATING ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY, AND HONG KONG WILL BOTH DO WHAT THEY CAN TO REACH AN AGREEMENT ON THIS IMPORTANT MATTER AFFECTING THE TEXTILE
INDUSTRIES OF ALL THE COUNTRIES CONCERNED. UNQUOTE
.OWEN
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