TNAG-0464-FCO40-529-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-EEC-Generalised-Scheme-of-Prefer-1974 — Page 31

Ir Stuart

RECEIVED IN REGISTE To. 51

in Stuais

RESTRICTED

On Juda

2 OCT 1974

по Ната

unt

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C

MEETING WITH DAVID JORDAN, DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE & UTRY

no over

puertation.

With

24/10

The .2512

1. Mr Jordan was accompanied by Mr Kidd.

2.

The points I made were these:

(a)

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

(b) From the FCC's point of view Hong Kong's and our

(c)

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.)

e 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.

(u) However, the UK did not have freedom of action to

determine what the end C attitude would be.

(e)

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 disreputaile, 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.)

(f) 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 long kong in its trading relations with the enlarged Community; and the most recent instructions

3.

to Coreper I had seen had enjoined ir Palliser to continue spealing about footwear and textiles.

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

(a) tenming from the Secretary of Stute's declaration

(a "hostile to fortune" he said here 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 DC, even though this

25/x

p.c

VALOT D

/night