TNAG-0389-FCO40-435-Visit-of-trade-mission-of-the-London-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-1973 — Page 26

(3001) Da.145244 400m 8/73 L.Ltd. Gp.839

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

1

Registry No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Top Secret.

Secret.

Confidential.

Restricted. Unclassified.

PRIVACY MARKING

In Confidence

DRAFT

LETTER

To:-

Sir Patrick Reilly GCMG OBE 9-13 King William Street London EC4P 4HS

Type 1 +

FROM

Sir T Brimelow

Telephone No. Ext.

Department

1.

Thank you very much for your interesting and substantial letter of 31 October about your visit to

the Far East.

2.

A number of questions that you raise are, as you say, primarily the responsibility of the DTI. I

understand that they are writing to you direct about

these. As for the points which concern the Foreign.

and Commonwealth Office, it will take us some time to

digest your wide-ranging comments and to consider

what action we can take on them.

3.

This letter is therefore no more than an interim

reply. You have, however, touched on one point which

is of substantial importance to our relations with

Hong Kong. As you rightly imply, some Hong Kong

officials and unofficials have tunnel-vision.

They

are conscious of the colony's economic success and contrast this with what they think is the decline of the British economy. They know that they can never be independent, but they do not see why they should

subordinate Hong Kong's wishes to the wider interests

of HMG. This combination of economic success and

political importance tends to sharpen the normal sensitivities of a dependent territory.

44.

This does pose considerable problems for the

Governor, who is at the same time both the Queen's

presentati.

w/7