TNAG-0281-FCO40-317-Visit-of-the-Chancellor-of-the-Duchy-of-Lancaster-to-Hong-Ko-1970 — Page 156

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110 The second major development in Europe

since 1945 which has critically altered

Britain's attitude, is the shift in the pattern

of our trade. Like you, and like Australia,

we have been diversifying our trade very con-

siderably.

We are now dependent on our

As they are shyiendumb în uns,

European neighbours/ot only for our security,

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

s me have alwaye t

not only for indust-

rial and technological partre rship, a shall

by increasingly but also, to a considerable

extent, for our daily bread.

Today we export

twice as much to Western Europe as to the

Commonwealth, and, of course, an enlarged

European Community will cover, in one way or

another, practically the whole of Western

Europe. Our trade with the European Com-

munities alone our largest and fastest

12.

growing market - expanded more than 2 times

between 1958 and 1968. But as prospective

members, we note with interest that trade

within the Communities multiplied four times.

These are some of the basic facts of

history, ancient and modern, which give tren-

endous impetus to our application to join the

Communities. But they are not the only facts.

As I have said, your ties with us will always

be very intimate, and that must mean that you

want Eritain and the rest of Europe to continue

to be able to make a distinctive contribution

to the world, including this part of the world.

That is certainly our vision of a united

Europe, and we believe it is widely shared

within the Communities. You do not want

Britain, like Spain, for example, after the

break-up of the great Spanish-American Empire

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