SECRET
impressions of the visits so far).
But we feel some concern that the special llong Kong points as drafted should be so narrow in scope, concentrating as they do on cotton textiles, We have re- drafted this section (Annex 'C') to make the points about (a) the virtual certainty that Hong Kong would have to compete in Britain over the Common External Tariff, and (b) the dangers if an E. E. C. common commercial policy were to follow a restrictionist line.
We have agreed the texts.of Anexes A, B and C to this letter ith Gallagher.
་
6. It may be helpful to you to have the following background. When I was last in Hong Kong with Mr. Lee, at the beginning of December, I had a confidential talk one evening with Sorby, the Director of Commerce and Industry and Ross, Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, about the position of ilong Kong if Britain were to enter the Common Market. I said to them that I had particularly noted that, when Mr. Lee and I had met representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and the Chinese Manufacturers Association at a joint areting during or carlier visit last August/September, the Chinese members in particular, but also a number of uropeans, and been most emphatic that, as they put it, Britain should insist on il ng Kong, being offered Association with the F..C. if Britain
ere to join. I said that 3 personally felt sure there was virtually
:
|
o prospect of our being able to secure this, in the light of what had happened in 1961/62; and I asked frankly whether long Kong were rely expecting the six to agree to Association for them,
:
Both Sorby and koss said that they recognised that there was Apelly no chance of this, and they thought that others in Hong Kong rec anised this too. But they told me that there was a fairly wide-
rond feeling of anxiety in commerce and manufacturing circles in ng Kong that Britain would not be disposed to fight very hard on behalf of Hong Kong's interests, and that, frankly, we would be all
no prone to sacrifice Hong Kong's interest in order to secure dvantage for ourselves. it was this anxiety that had underlain the vchemence with which at the August/September meeting a number of the representatives present had pressed that Britain should firmly stake out a claim for Association for Hong Kong. Sorby and Ross, who in their talk with me both took an entirely realistic line about the likely course of negotiations so far as Ing Kong was concerned, both
tressed that since in any negotiations we are obviously going
to
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.