CONFIDENTIAL
49
Brief for
The Right Hos. The Lord Shepherd. P.-C.
Finister of State
Foreign and Cossonwealth office
Visit to the British Trade Commission Hong Kong
June 5 1969
The British Trade Commission
The Trade Commission is an independent office of the Diplomatic Service. It was originally set up by the Board of Trade, but was taken over by the Diplomatie Service after the Plowden re-organization in the early 1960's.
The Trade Co mission's main task is to assist British exporters wishing to do business with Hong Kong, and for this duty it is staffed and organized exactly like the Commercial Section of an Embassy.
The Commission also has an Information Section which opened up last year in an effort to give more publicity to the British case in any matter of public interest, and especially on occasions (a.g. quota disputes) when Britain's
In this work interest and Hong Kong's do not coincide.
the Commission must naturally liaise olosely with the Colonial Government Information Services
There is, in addition, an Economic Survey Section in the Commission's Offices, whose work is almost enitraly confined to appreciation of the economy of the Peoples Republic of China,
Finally, the Commission has a fair sized Administration Section, which administers several outlying offices of the Diplomatic Service in Hong Kong, and which acts as rear link for Embassies in surrounding countries more especially the British Office in Peking and the Dabassy in Ulan Bator in Mongolia.
Not counting the outlying offices mentioned in the preceding paragraph the Commission has eight home based personnel and 20 locally employed staff.
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51 11 JUN 1969:
HKKG/548/3.
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