TNAG-0464-FCO40-529-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-EEC-Generalised-Scheme-of-Prefer-1974 — Page 29

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Mr Stuar

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JKY/ 25/x

MEETING WITH MR DAVID JORDAN, DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

1.

2.

(a)

(b)

(c)

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Mr Jordan was accompanied by Mr Kidd.

The points I made were these:

We were glad he had come to talk to officials before Ministers had taken a decision on the 1975 GSP line. This could be presentationally useful.

From the FCO's point of view Hong Kong's and our objectives were over-all the same. That is to say we wished to see a flourishing Hong Kong which was self- supporting and did not, in our current circumstances, need to call on the United Kingdom for aid. (Mr Jordan reckoned that Hong Kong would continue on this path.)

We also wanted the traders of Hong Kong to have confidence in their trading future, and as part of this in HMG's support for their interests.

(d) However, the UK did not have freedom of action to determine what the end EEC attitude would be.

(e)

(f)

3.

There was also the point that though not too much stress should be put on it - the image of Hong Kong in the UK tended to be negative, being coloured by some whose motives were totally disreputable, and others whose motives though respectable were Utopian. It would be worth considering whether Hong Kong could do something to project itself and its good features and difficulties in a positive way in the UK, and not defensively in answer to slurs. (Mr Kidd said he had been thinking of some such operation.)

Mr Jordan could however be sure that from our point of view, for our own reasons, we would continue to do all we could to help Hong Kong in its trading relations with the enlarged Community; and the most recent instructions to Coreper I had seen had enjoined Sir M Palliser to continue speaking about footwear and textiles.

The points made by Mr Jordan, interleaving with the above, were as follows:

(a)

Stemming from the Secretary of State's declaration (a "hostage to fortune" he said there was a public relations

job to be done in Hong Kong. This fell in two parts. First there was the need to say something on his return to show the trading community that the UK was trying to do something to improve access to the EEC, even though this

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/might