TNAG-0306-FCO40-342-Equipment-for-technical-institutes-in-Hong-Kong-provision-of-1971 — Page 190

bias wards British machinery.

understand that the Department of Trade &

Industry strongly support the proposal to make a grantänder the and

program.

4. You mentioned in your letter that one of your main objections related to trade considerations, saying that while you were certainly prepared te

take such considerations into account you very rarely

provided money for trade promotion purposes elone and–

that skilEXYBEXWEREXcertaintyxNÒPAITEÅXİextakexansk

thie wae something which more closely concerned-

John Davice' Department. The DTI are of course

directly responsible for straight-forward trade

promotion, eg, exhibitions and trade missions, but

it seems to me that where, as in this case, other

considerations are involved, trade promotion is a

legitimate if subsidiary objective of our aid policy

and that aid provided with trade promotion as an

the objective should come from ODA Votes rather than the

DTI enes,

In considering our response to what Mr Tang told me I have to take into account not only trade

considerations but also the strong feeling in Hong

Kong that we have neglected the Colony in recent

years the feeling that Britain, so far from being

proud of Hong Kong's achievements, regards the

Colony as a nuisance and an impediment.

to

In the past

war years we left Hong Kong grapple alone (without

significant financial assistance) with the tremendous

problems posed by the influx of refugees from China.

At the same time we are seen in Hong Kong as having

Series of

dealt the Colony a sorians 'blows to its trade

ས

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