CONFIDENTIAL
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Mr R P Hope (CT1b DTI)
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HONG KONG NON-COTTON EXPORTS TO THE EEC
1. In the second sentence of the second page of your summary record of the meeting of 12 March you wrote that DTI and FCO officials agreed that it would be very diffi- cult politically to continue to attempt to prevent the Commission from dealing with a problem whose existence we could not deny.
2.
What I said was that, as I understood it, we agreed that it was not in our interest, either as the guardians of Hong Kong or on our own behalf, for the EEC Textiles Committee to approve a mandate proposing restrictions on a large number of items without evidence of damage to the importing countries. I therefore took it that if this situation did arise, both the DTI and the FCO would wish the matter to be reconsidered, if necessary at the political level in the Community.
3. I suggested that it might be tactically easier to refuse to accept unreasonable demands if Hong Kong had previously taken steps to meet reasonable ones by a unilateral offer to the Benelux countries on the lines proposed by Mr Jones. But even if this offer does not materialise in time, I am sure that the arguments against endorsing an unacceptable mandate without consideration at the political level are still valid.
4. This point seems to me important, and was not, I think, dissented from by the DTI representatives at the meeting. I also think it was echoed by Mr Ridley in subsequent informal conversation with the Hong Kong representatives. In the hope that you will agree I am copying this minute to the recipients of yours.
AZS
A C Stuart
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Department
15 March 1973
Copy to:
Mr Lam
Miss Elliott
}
Miss Welch
CRE 1
CRE 2
Mr Hagestadt
CRE 3
Mr Ridley
CT
Miss Lowne
CT1
Mr Gwinnell
CT2
Mr Pownall
CT1a
Mr de Fonblanque
UKREP BRUSSELS
Mr Hazle
TRD FCO
Mr Morland
EID FCO
Mr Wilford
(17291) 897465 400m 1/73 (- WB Lat
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