Foreign Secretary
TEST
HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON, SWI
19th January 1972.
I had dinner in the House last night with the Hong Kong Association, a group of people who run from London the large merchant firms such as Matheson and Butterfield Swire and the Hong Kong Bank. Peter Blaker was in the Chair, and the object of the dinner was to have an exchange of views with Conservative Members of Parliament.
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Although Hong Kong has been very prosperous, they seem to have various grievances and think that they should have been better treated by H. M.G. They dislike the system of quotas and tariffs which are applied to their textile exports to this country. They say that they were assured that they would be subjected to one or the other of these restrictions but not to both, and that we give better treatment to foreign countries such as Portugal, as members of EFTA.
They want more help from the U.K. When pressed to give examples, they said that they wanted financial backing to
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build their underground railway system, which is a large project HK. Dept.
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costing around £400m. They want a loan to help finance this, and also money for investment in education, water, etc. want help from the Export Credits Guarantee Department. On our entry into the Common Market they want an enlargement of their textile quota. They want help from the O. D. A. in the form of provision of specialist manpower for their polytechnics etc. Above all they want gestures of solidarity so that they may feel that they are closer to us; after all, they say, they are that rare bird in these days, a Crown Colony.
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These were their grumbles, and I thought that it would interest you to hear them in view of your impending visit. an occasion like this is a God-given opportunity to express every kind of grievance, but in spite of these tales of woe the atmosphere was friendly.
Martin
19.1.72
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