CONFIDELLAD AND FERJUNAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1
Telephone 01-
Your reference
RECO REGISTR
I A C Kinnear Esq
Senior British Trade Commissioner HONG KONG
Our referenée HKK 6/548/5
Date
30 September 1974
Dear Tim,
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
1.
Before you left for Hong Kong, I suggested that it might be helpful to both of us if we were to revive an informal arrangement which I had with Tom Aston for keeping him informed of developments on topics of importance by an exchange of general round-up letters at more or less regular monthly intervals. We both found the practice useful as a means of conveying information and comment to each other which because of the special considera- tions which apply in Hong Kong could not so conveniently have been effected through other channels. I know the arrangement was of help to Tom and I hope that it may at any rate to some extent also meet the need for briefing on "sensitive issues" expressed in para. 3 of the report sent to Derek Brinson with your letter 61/1 of 29 August. Tom's letters in turn, their intrinsic interest apart, were a useful indication of the subjects on which he was most in need of guidance. If you think this pattern would also suit your need, I suggest we make it the basis for our own arrangement. I must however stress that it is a strictly personal one designed to provide you with background information which should generally speaking not be used with contacts outside your own office. It would in particular not be desirable that the existence of the arrangement should become known in Hong Kong Government circles which imposes the need for a certain reticence also in conversation with expatriate officials.
2.
The last month or two have in fact been relatively uneventful but as various developments are now under way, particularly in the EEC context, this may be a good time to relaunch the newsletter.
EEC/GSP
3.
Following the Secretary of State's statement to the Council of Ministers on 4 June, when on the subject of the Community's GSP he said "we need a substantial improvement in the position of Hong Kong", M. Tran Van Thinh of the EEC Commission paid a visit to London, early in July, for an informal exchange of views. It emerged that for 1975, the Commission is thinking in terms of ending discrimination against Hong Kong on all footwear. On textiles, M. Tran said that discrimination could not be eliminated for 1975, but as a first step he envisaged that it might be possible to include Hong Kong on the list of beneficiaries for certain non-
CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL
/sensitive
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