TNAG-0466-FCO40-531-Hong-Kong-s-interests-in-EEC-capitals-1974 — Page 101

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British Embassy

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35 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75 Paris BEGISTRY No. 51

- 9 MAY 1974

HKK.6/598/2

Your reference

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EP 6/19

Date

27 March 1974

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Dear Braithwaite,

HONG KONG AND THE EEC

1. Your letters of 14 and 22 February to Statham at Bonn.

2.

Watt was here from 18 to 20 March and for the first day was accompanied by Patrick Dodge, Counsellor (Commercial) for the Hong Kong Government at Brussels. We entertained him lavishly and by covering occasions when I was meeting the French press for the first time he met virtually all the best working journalists in Paris. I found him appreciative, enterprising and agreeable.

3. We established with Watt before his arrival that the main purpose of his visit was to find out what idea the French had of Hong Kong, what sort of coverage there was in the media, and how its interests might be further promoted, for example by inviting French journalists on sponsored trips to Hong Kong or perhaps by increasing and channelling more selectively the out- put of information about Hong Kong. By discussion with the Information and Commercial Departments and meetings with representatives of the French media interested in East Asia, we were, I think, able to give Watt plenty of ideas and he made several useful contacts.

4.

In the course of his calls he was interviewed on the purpose of his visit by both the English Language Radio Service of the ORTF and "Eurasie-Echange" a new magazine specialising in trade relations between Europe and Asia. In view of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's participation, for the first time, in two annual Trade Fairs to be held in Paris during the next three months, it was agreed that provided we were supplied with the necessary details we could give publicity to this in our regular bulletins.

15.

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