HKA 431/393/6
RECEN
2 £ Jeu
STAFF IN CONFIDENCE
DESK OFFIC INDEX
BBR
Mr Brighty
Personnel Operations Department
(CG015)
co Mr Morrice/
Miss Brett Rooks
37A
SEE (4
1981
APPOINTMENT OF DS OFFICERS IN HONG KONG POSTS OVERSEAS
1. During my recent visit to Hong Kong, I discussed with Mr Rowlands (Secretary for the Civil Service) and Mr Dorward (Director of Trade, Industry and Customs) my letter of 12 November (copy attached).
2.
Mr Dorward said that Hong Kong were not against taking some DS officers but there were problems:
3.
a)
Geneva: Here the bulk of the work involved close cooperation with countries in the Group of 77, whose representatives were only too ready to suspect that expatriate Hong Kong employees, let alone people from the DS, were really acting on behalf of the industrialised nations. For this reason Hong Kong tried, where possible, to put Chinese officers into Geneva posts. He argued that this helped them in exercising a moderating influence in preliminary discussions before the MFA negotiations.
b) Brussels: Mr Dorward said that some of these
considerations, though to a lesser degree, applied in Brussels. He thought, however, that it might be possible to employ DS officers in some posts there. He defended the appointment of Miss Bywater as First Secretary because of the need to make use of her specialised knowledge of Community and textile affairs.
c) Washington: Mr Dorward saw Washington in a different
category. He thought there was considerable advantage in having DS officers there. He enquired about plans for Mr Crowson. They did not intend to upgrade the post should Mr Crowson stay on for another tour or be replaced fairly soon.
Mr Dorward said that it was important to ensure that any DS candidates for Hong Kong posts had the right skills. The people whom we had cited in the enclosure to my letter of 12 November had been almost all trade promoters. These were not what was wanted. Trade promotion was carried out by the non-governmental Trade Development Council. All the Hong Kong Government posts were concerned with trade policy and negotiation, largely in the multilateral field.
STAFF IN CONFIDENCE
/4.