TNAG-0467-FCO40-532-Hong-Kong-s-interests-in-EEC-capitals-1974 — Page 30

CONFIDENTIAL

N Statham Esq CMG CVO British Embassy BONN

pa

3/7

RECEIVED IN

REGISTRY M.37

- 1 JUL 1974

MWE 3/393/1

1 July 1974

(SS)

HONG KONG'S INTERESTS IN EEC CAPITALS

A

1. I wrote to you' and other recipients on 22 February about the tour of European capitals which Nigel Watt, a senior Hong Kong Government Officer, was making in order to survey Hong Kong's public relations and information effort. Subsequently we received letters from several posts reporting on Watt's visit.

It is fairly But you may

2. Watt has now produced a report on his visit. bulky and I am not proposing to circulate copies. be interested in the following summary of his principal recommendations:-

(a) the establishment of new coordination machinery

within the present Hong Kong Information Services Department. (I gather that this is something to which we have drawn the Hong Kong Government's attention before and Watt estimates the cost of this to be about £35,000. In our view without such a unit no effective Hong Kong information

Kong effort in Europe can be achieved.,

(b)

Watt believes that the improvement of Hong Kong's image in Europe can best be achieved through Hong Kong's established offices, namely, the Counsellor for Hong Kong affairs in (London, the Hong Kong Government Office in London, and the Trade Development Council offices throughout 'the area, especially in Frankfurt, Milan and

Amsterdam. He sees a minor role for the Hong Kong Tourist Association. He envisages certain staff increases in these offices.

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Bunzado

(c) He thinks that provided the new coordination unit

provides suitable press material, this could be disseminated through British Embassy press sections. (We should have to see how this works out in practice but I do not think that this is likely to be anything other than a routine task.)

CONFIDENTIAL

/(a) Watt proposes

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