TNAG-0068-FCO40-104-Future-of-the-British-Trade-Commission-1968 — Page 13

Our Ref: HWB 13/9

SAVING

From the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs

To the Officer Administering the Government of HONG KONG

Date

18:

SAVING

No

521.

H.439.

you

please

Will

as

ve-fair

ANG

Amended.

Either

30.6.67

Al-Once.

Either now or ta later.

(and this wavi

not be done without specifre clearance from

you at the time)

C

#31 MAY

LUBIBA-

Future Role of British Trade Commission, Hong Kong.

Earlier this year approval was given for the creation of an additional post of Commercial Assistant (Information) in the British Trade Commissioner's Office, Hong Kong. The intention is to fill the post by local recruitment (this may in fact, already have been done) and the officer appointed will be responsible, under direction of the Assistant Trade Commissioner, for handling/trade and publicity matters, including the production of a trade-promotion magazine and liaison with the Chinese press and television stations.

2. It is understood that the subject of U.K. Information Services in Hong Kong was mentioned to you personally by Mr.Robert Maxwell, M.P. at the beginning of the year. The idea has also been mooted of establishing a fully fledged Information section of the Trade Commission with a reading room, reference library, film library etc., but there would be obvious political dangers attached to such a course, for example:-

(a) the Chinese Government might react unfavourably

to a vigorous compaign on their door-step to put over Western democratic ideals;

(b) any systematic attempt in Hong Kong to put over

the U.K. view point on an issue on which H.M.G. and the Hong Kong Government might not see eye to eye, would tend to belie the strict constitutional status of the territory and could lead to other embarrassment.

In the first instance, therefore, the Trade Commission's extended responsibilities will be confined to a smallscale information effort in trade promotion and, subject to any views you may hold, it is not the intention to make any change in the title of the Office We hope, however, that if it were later found possible to post á U.K. based Information Officer to Hong Kong he would, in addition to giving priorty to commercial information work, undertake a moderate range of other information activities, so long as these did not run any risk of embarrassing your Government or causing trouble with the Chinese

to maintain clos

Government. We should in any event with information service to awas Chaison with the Hong Kong In paragraph 2 above, and in particular for your views on the scope of

I shall be grateful to receive your comments on the proposals

any functions and activities which might be carried out by a U.K. based Information Officer without running the risks mentioned above.

avoid

Confusion

SECER