this in London this week.
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At this stage, pending any more serious developments, any Commission representations on our behalf would need to be delicately handled. Subject to your views and those of UKREP Brussels, our thought is that in the course of other ongoing contacts with Chinese officials, the Commission representation in Peking (preferably at Counsellor rather than Head of Mission Level) could flag up the unfortunate wider international trade policy implications of politically-oriented discrimination against EC member states. He could presumably refer to earlier instances of such discrimination (most recently against France) to make the general point though we suspect, subject to your correction, that the French may not have engaged Commission assistance in their own dispute. Reference to EC attitudes to China's GATT application would fall naturally into this context.
5. We would Like to keep up our sleeve any recourse to discussion during the formal EC/China Joint Commission (28-29 April), as suggested by Duchateau to Nuttall. We shall be monitoring the situation meanwhile. We need to recognise that Community solidarity is most unlikely to extend to the Chinese market place where any UK discomfiture is likely to be seized on by our EC competitors to their own firms' advantage.
6. Subject to your views and those of UKRep Brussels, we would Like you to draw on the above in seeking Duchateau's staff's discreet but firm assistance.
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