TNAG-0304-FCO40-340-Effects-of-tariffs-on-imports-of-cotton-textiles-to-UK-from--1971 — Page 141

CONFIDENTIAL

MENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY

RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEE THE

OF STATE AND MR HADDON-CAVE HELD AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE ON MONDAY, 6 DECEMBER AT 16.45 PM

139)

In Clew lay

Mr A Royle, MP

Sir L Monson

Mr H B C Keeble

Mr E O Laird

Mr H E J Hale

Mr M F Forrester

PRESENT

Mr P Haddon-Cave

Mr E Ho

Er

Mr D Sellers

17kii

1.

Cotton Textiles

Mr Royle said that we recognised that the decision taken by

the Government created difficulties for Hong Kong.

2.

Mr Haddon-Cave, speaking generally on the lines of his conversation earlier that day with Mr Grant, again singled out

the difficult position in which the Governor would be placed by

the British Government's decision. Mr Haddon-Cave hoped that

there might be some possibilities of amelioration of the details of the new British policy and in particular that Hong Kong could obtain something to offset the double form of protection which

Britain would now have.

3。 He said that Hong Kong traders had worked on the assumption

that there would be no quotas in 1972 and consequently large

orders had been placed by non-quota holders. Referring to the suggestions that he had made at the meeting of officials during the morning of 6 December, he said that if it were not possible to obtain decalage, he hoped that there might be some modernisation of the quota arrangements to reflect current conditions in the

textile trade. Hong Kong's broad objectives now were to be able

to say that:-

(i)

(ii)

the Governor had been notified in advance;

a Hong Kong team had been invited to London to pat

CONFIDENTIAL

/their case;