TNAG-0249-FCO40-285-Effect-of-entry-of-UK-into-EEC-on-exports-from-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 52

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

NOTHING TO BE Written IN THIS MARGIN

membership, reasons which still apply.

However I should mention that, in the event of

our joining the Communities, we should of

course adopt their offer under the UNCTAD

Scheme which would give Hong Kong textiles

duty free entry into the United Kingdom within

certain defined limits. The question of

reducing tariffs into the enlarged Communitie

Y

is (of course)

N

a subject which we should be

itige

happy to discuss with the Hong Kong Government

at the

after enlargement proceedings had concluded.

It would not be very practicable for me to

speculate on what would happen after enlargement

in this field. As for using part of Hong Kongs

reserves held in the U.K. to aid her economy,

this is naturally a subject which we should

wish to review most carefully in the light of

later events; but again I think it might be

unhelpful if I were to pronounce on what is

essentially still a hypothetical question.

I should like to end by assuring you that

the British Government is very well aware both

of the interest of Hong Kong in our negotiations

and of the questions which the success of

negotiations would raise for her. My own

recent visit to the territory was a most useful

opportunity for me to review this question and

to study the conditions of the territory at

first hand. I need hardly add, that for more

than mere economic reasons, the British Govern-

ment has a strong interest in seeing that the

future prosperity of Hong Kong is safeguarded

so far as possible.

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