235
close has, in fact, already been closed to
British exporters. His Majesty's Government
are now willing to intimate to those foreign
Governments who have instituted an export
C
2
licence system that after a certain date the
Governor of Hong Kong will be instructed to
require, as evidence that arms consigned to
China via Hong Kong are entitled to "in transit"
status, the production of copies of the export
licences issued; they would also suggest to
those Governments that copies of the licences
should be forwarded direct by the issuing
authority to the Governor of Hong Kong.
the case of those countries who nave not
In
instituted the export licence system the
suggested procedure obviously would not be
applicable. His Majesty's Government could
not, however, view with equanimity a situation
whereby the export of arms from Belgium and
Switzerland
-
the two countries primarily
concerned
would be in a position to benefit
at the expense of exports from those countries
who