TNAG-0559-FCO40-654-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 63

SCR 27/65 II

mmons.

CONFIDENTIAL SEA

2th $11/

2 October, 1975

305

party

A K Goldsmith Esq South-East Asian Dept

РСО

RELATIONS WITH SOUTH VIETNAM

RECEIVED IN

1

0.51

WICK 18/25, 305/2

As I reported in our telegram No. 964 of 29 September, the two-man delegation of the PRG who have been roving south- East Asia, visited Hong Kong again on 25 september. Nguyen Khoe Huynh and guyen The Chuong called to see me on 29 September before their return to saigon via Canton on 1 October.

2.

At our meeting, which was mild and restrained, they began by saying that they had had useful discussions with Charles Drace-Francis on their last visit and that most of the points they had raised had been cleared up. I gave them a brief description of my own relationship with the FCC and the ¡long_Kong Government. I deliberately sought to show them that HMG were responsible for dong Kong's external relations and that there could be no definite decisions arising from their talks here on any matter that affected external policy. I also used the analogy of sino-British relations in this context in order to make the point obliquely that we have to pay some attention to Chinese susceptibilities as well as looking to Londen for instructions.

3.

Buynh

The first subject that came up vas trade relations, and this is, I think, the main focus of interest in South vietnamese minds in respect of Hong Kong at this stage. said that there had been a fair degree of trade between jong Kong and the old regime in Saigon and that there was great scope for the promotion of imports and exports. Be instanced exports from Vietnam of rice, marine products and forestry products and said that South Vietnam had a need of Hong Kong textiles, consumer goods, machinery and spare parts.

4.

I said that there was no reason why trading relations should not develop. Much would depend on the state of the market and the likely volume of interchange. Huynh asked whether there was a possibility of a trade representative being stationed in Hong Kong. I said that, in principle, if the volume of trade appeared to varrant it and other things were equal, there was probably no objection to having someone in Hong Kong to handle this end of the business, particularly if

/contd.....

CONFIDENTIAL