TNAG-0298-FCO40-334-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-generalized-tariffs-preferences--1971 — Page 122

CONFIDENTIA:

Mr Bound EID

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1) Copies Tomson

by" M. Land HKD keine ромбеманко

2) ry~ Bums

M. Persone

CR/BIC 1103/1

XI

25th February, 1971.

(Dear Wakefield),

Yon.

1) 2/3 + 3/1/3

ウィ

72

Generalised Preferences

of

Thank you for copying to me your letter of 19 February

to Britten.

2.

As you know, much (but not all) of the significance of the eventual Japanese decision in regard to treatment of Hong Kong is its value as a precedent in the U.S. Now that the E.E.C. has firmly decided on our inclusion we would like to be ready soon to prepare a suitably high level approach to Washington designed to reverse their conditionally negative position. As I think you know, under strong influence by Commerce Department the White House some time ago endorsed a decision that Hong Kong should be excluded, subject to review if the E.E.C. and Japan included us. The State Department, we are assured, are ready and willing to reopen this issue once the E.E.C. and Japan have committed themselves; and are moderately optimistic about the result.

3.

It may be premature to ask this, but is there any possibility in your view of getting a definite Japanese statement of intent to include Hong Kong, albeit on an unspecified qualified basis, so on after their legislation clears the Diet but before the final decisions in May or June ? If so, how best should we go about seeking to extract it ?

4.

28 *

We are grateful to you for keeping up the pressure on the Japanese to see us to discuss exclusions. I hope they will relent once the legislation is through and before their, thinking becomes too rigid.

5.

I am copying this to Britten in the F.C.O., Jones in Geneva and Hermann in Washington.

>

(Yours sincerely),

(W. Dorward)

P.G.A. Wakefield, Esq.,

British Embassy,

No. 1 Ichiban-cho,

Chiyoda-ku,

Tokyo,

JAPAN.

WD/1oh

c.o. R.G. Britten, Esq., Trade Policy Department, F.C.O.

A.W., A.G.