COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE
Mr Murray
dr. Clift.
никочен
P.A 9
RIAR
4/2.
INDEX
SPEECH BY SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE IN HONG KONG
1. The Financial Times of 30 January on page 4 reports a speech by Mr Nott in Hong Kong. It carries the headline 'Nott warns of action on textiles from Hong Kong'.
It rep- orts his referring to problems in the UK market and quotes him as saying 'it might be necessary to soften hardship and ease change with subsidies or temporary protection'.
2.
We saw the DOT's draft of Mr Nott's speech last week. It contained a passage about difficulties with the British textile industry and the words 'in our view management of textile imports will continue to be necessary'. But it did not mention 'protection'.
3. Both the draft and Mr Nott's remarks as reported in the Financial Times contained an assurance that the Europ- ean Community was not likely to seek revisions of arrange- ments already negotiated under the MFA as 'some other trad- ing partners' had (a dig at the Americans).
4. I have spoken to Mr Dick in the DOT about this. The speech was intended to be primarily a general exposé of the Conservative Government's world wide trading policy and it is unfortunate that it has been reported as a warning to the Hong Kong textile industry. Mr Dick will make enquiries, get the full text of the speech and let us know what answers are being made to any press enquiries. Mr Nott himself should arrive back today.
Дир
༣:༤༤-༢.
30 January 1980
Copies to:
News Department
TRED
EID(E)
R D Clift
Hong Kong and General Department
Oh dear. If the FT is
Ha
arrang
ok press
Do t's News Dest must guide the UV
a correct reporting
i
نسبة
to
slu tell Hong Kong
we
But let's
what DOT we doing. COMMERCIAL-IN-CONFIDENCE txt first.
Sie
the Tall
3011