TNAG-0298-FCO40-334-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-generalized-tariffs-preferences--1971 — Page 75

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PRIORITY

CYPHER CAT A

FM TOKYO 2646257

CONFIDENTIAL

RECCONFIDENTIAL

ONFIDENTI

REGISTRY No 51

30MAX 1771

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Laby

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[NEUTRAL]

TO PRIORITY F C O TELNO 251 OF 26 MARCH INFO HONG KONG

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GENERALISED PREFERENCES: HONG KONG.

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1. FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN THE DIET THIS WEEK WE HAVE BEEN APPROACHED BY MITI WITH A REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE OF HONG KONG'S CONSTITUTIONAL AND ECONOMISC STATUS. ALTHOUGH THE JAPANESE HAVE CONSIDERABLE DOCUMENTATION ON DEPENDENT TERRITORIES OTHER THAN HONG KONG, MITI CLAIM NOT TO HAVE RECEIVED ANY SIMILAR MATERIAL ABOUT HONG KONG THEMSELVES. THEY HAVE IN THIS CONTEXT REFERRED TO A MEETING BETWEEN WAKEFIELD AND HARADA (OUR TELNO 898 OF 18 DECEMBER) WHEN HARADA EMPHASISED THE NEED FOR THE JAPANESE TO BE ABLE TO DEMOSTRATE CLEARLY THE EXCEPTIONAL STATUS OF HONG KONG. THE SAME POINT HAS ALSO BEEN MADE BY HIRAHARA (OUR TELNO 912 OF 28 DECEMBER).

2. WE HAVE ALREADY USED HERE THE ARCUMENTS ABOUT HONG KONG'S STATUS CONTAINED IN HONG KONG TELNO 15 OF 9 JANUARY, AND HAVE ALSO TOLD MITI THAT WE BELIEVED THAT ENDO OF THE JAPANESE EMBASSSY IN LONDON HAD BEEN GIVEN DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE ABOUT HONG KONG'S STATUS. ON FURTHER EXAMINATION OF OUR FILES, HOWEVER, IT SEEMS THAT THIS MAY NOT BE THE CASE AND THAT ENDO MAY ONLY HAVE BEEN GIVEN MATERIAL ON DEPENDENT TERRITORIES OTHER THAN HONG KONG (YOUR TLENO 837 OF 21 DECEMBER), WE SHOULD LIKE THEREFORE, CLARIFICATION OF WHETHER OR NOT ENDO HAS

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RECEIVED MATERIAL ON HONG KONG AND IF NOT, CONSIDERATION TO BE GIVEN OF WHETHER IT CAN NOW DE SUPPLIED.

THE POINTS ON WHICH

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MITI HAVE SAID THEY WOULD LIKE DOCUMENTATION ARE: (A) HONG KONG'S CONSTITUTIONAL STATUS AND INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN IN ITS PANACEMENT OF DOMESTIC AFFAIRS.

(B) HONG KONG'S INDEPENDENT TRADING AND EXCHANGE CONTROL POSITION, IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE., COPIES OF HONG KONG'S TRADE AND EXCHANGE CONTROL RECULATIONS WOULD BE USEFUL.

(C) HONG KONG'S FOREIGN EXCHANGE POSITION AND RELATIONS WITH THE BANK OF ENGLAND.

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Apart

CONFIDENTIAL

/(D) STATISTICS

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