CONFIDENTIAL
NJAJA PATVÁ
BRITAIN AND THE NEC
Comeliatters
Draft Brief for Was with Hong Kong Officials beginning in London on
10 July 1967.
26/€
Objective
The object of these consultations is to discuss with Hong
Kong officials the steps which we might take in negotiations with
the Community to safeguard Hong Kong's essentials interests.
talks will be entirely without commitment.
These
The final decision on
the safeguards which we would try to secure for Hong Kong rests
with the British Government and must be taken in the context of
our overall negotiating position and tactics.
2.
In the previous negotiations no agreement was reached on
covering Hong Kong. Nor has any policy decision been taken on
what our negotiating objectives for Hong Kong should be this time.
In these circumstances we cannot ourselves make definitive
propucats ousspotions to the Hong Kong Officials or comment definitively
the on suggestions which they make. We can however refer to latest
British position on Hong Kong in the previous negotiations and
sound the Hong Kong Officials on their views as to whether
we should begin again where we left off. Should they make
alternative suggestions, we should limit ourselves to elucidating
them; obtaining an indication of the importance which Hong Kong
attaches to them; and asking what arguments we might reasonably
use in support of them with the Six. Our aim should in any case
be to avoid agreeing with the Hong Kong officials the opening
position we intended to adopt with the Six.
The Effect on Hong Kong of British Entry into the EEC without safeguards
30 In 1965, Hong Kong's total exports amounted to £408 million
(about 14%)
of which £56.8 million were to Britain.
Hong Kong's main exports
to us were as follows (their value in each case is expressed in
the first bracket as a percentage of total exports of that item
CONADENTIAL
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Private notes are available after approval.