TNAG-0242-FCO40-278-Conduct-of-Hong-Kong-commercial-relations-1970 — Page 4

CONFIDENTIAL

CYPHER/CAT A

ROUTINE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 413

CONFIDENTIAL

NEUTRAL

TQ FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

RECEIVED IN

REGISTRY No. 51 JUNE 1970

29 LUNDIS

LAST

REF.

46

NELI

REF.

48

(ADDRESSED F C O TELNO 413 OF 26 JUNE R F 1 UKMIS GENEVA,

416

UKMIS TELEGRAM 451: U.K.RELATIONS WITH HONG KONG ON TEXTILES.

IN MY TELEGRAM 403 | REFRAINED FROM COMMENT ON THE QUESTION OF

METHOD OF PRESENTATION TO GIVE UKMIS AN OPPORTUNITY OF STATING

THEIR VIEW FIRST. WHILE I AGREE WITH THE GREATER PART OF THE

} TELEGRAM UNDER REFERENCE ON THIS QUESTION, I WONDER IF THERE IS

NOT A DANGER OF OVER-FORMALISATION OF THE POSITION. PRESENT

COTTON PROCEDURES DEVELOPED WITHOUT FORMALITY AND HAVE REMAINED

INFORMAL, AND A FORMAL APPROACH ON NON-COTTONS MIGHT BE MISUNDER-

STOOD AND RAISE WIDER QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR AUTHORITY IN OTHER

FIELDS. AS YOU RECOGNISE, WE DO IN PRACTICE CONDUCT TRADE

RELATIONS OVER QUITE A WIDE RANGE OF MATTERS WHERE THERE IS NO

U.K. POLICY INTEREST, AND THIS DE FACTO SITUATION MIGHT BE

IMPUGNED BY IMPLICATIONS. THE DISTINGUISHING POINT ABOUT NON-

COTTONS IS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, AUTHORITY TO ADVOCATE AND

PRACTICE POLICIES WHICH DIVERGE FROM THOSE OF THE U.K. IN A FIELD

WHERE OUR INTERESTS MAY CONFLICT.

2. IN THE LIGHT OF THESE CONSIDERATIONS I THINK IT APPROPRIATE

TO EXPLAIN THE POSITION TO LONG BUT TO DO SO FOR OTHER

INTERESTED PARTIES ONLY WHEN AND TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU FEEL NT

NECESSARY TO DISSOCIATE U.K. FROM HONG KONG POLICY, AS EXPRESSED

EITHER IN ADVOCACY OR PRACTICE.

CONFIDENTIAL

3.