26 March 1992
A Budden Esq
ACDD
FCO
Dear Budden,
Mr. Skjor Pa
MAB 087/1
мав
good
with
Mwen
1/4
་་་་་
British Embassy Washington
Commercial Department 3100 Massachusetts Ave N,W.
Washington D.C. 20008-3600
Telephone: (202)
898 4265
Telex: RCA 211427 or 216760-WUI 64224
Facsimile: (202) 898-4224
HONG KONG: PROPOSED EXPORT CONTROL VIST
1.
610
You faxed me on 24 March a copy of Barbara Phillips's letter of 25 February to John Nichols, and asked me to sound out Price (State Department) about the possibility of a US inter-agency visit to Hong Kong in the week beginning 11 May, as proposed by Mr Ho (Assistant Director General, Hong Kong Trade Department).
2.
I spoke to Price today about this, and put forward the dates suggested. I noted that last year's visit had been successful, and had led to an Exchange of Letters in which the US undertook to extend certain licensing benefits to Hong Kong. The programme for the proposed visit in May would be arranged to cover all the issues which the Exchange of Letters had designated as matters for "regular consultations", as well as any other specific matters suggested by the US. I added that UK export control officials would also be in Hong Kong that week.
As you requested, I also noted that the US team would of course have to pay its own travel and subsistence expenses.
3. Price said that he welcomed this invitation, and was glad that UK export control officials would also be in Hong Kong to participate in discussions, but that he would have to check whether the dates proposed were manageable. He subsequently rang me back to say that a visit for a couple of days in the week commencing 11 May would suit the US quite well, although he could not at present say which particular days in that week would suit the US, since that depended on another proposed visit which was still being negotiated. He hoped that immediate confirmation of the week beginning 11 May as satisfactory would suffice for the present, and he promised to revert soon on the question of precise dates within that week.