TNAG-0764-FCO40-968-Trade-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1978 — Page 14

GR 670

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topy ear to

AW

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FM HONG KONG 100400Z NOV 78

TO ROUTINE F C O

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Sant to

P. J.DRING.

BRELD.OT

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1292 OF 10 NOVEMBER

13.11.78.

See B FKK 121/23551

TOP COPY

No

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INFO TOKYO, BRUSSELS (FOR BURGESS), GENEVA (FOR ISAQ), WASHINGTON

(FOR CROWSON), HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.

YOUR TELNO 706: ECONOMIC MISSION TO JAPAN.

See C

IN MY TELNO 1977 OF 11 SEPTEMBER 1 UNDERTCOK TO SEND FURTHER

DETAILS OF MISSION AS THEY BECAME FIRM. HOWEVER, THINGS MOVED

RATHER SLOWLY UNTIL VERY RECENTLY. ALTHOUGH THE MISSION IS NOW

ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AWAY, IT HAS NOT UNTIL NOW BEEN POSSIBLE

TO GIVE YOU THE FULL PICTURE.

2. THE BASIC FACT IN THE BACKGROUND TO THIS MISSION IS THAT,

ALTHOUGH THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL HAS BEEN TRYING TO PROMOTE EXPORTS TO JAPAN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW, WE HAVE NOT

BEEN AS SUCCESSFUL AS WE MIGHT HAVE EXPECTED, GIVEN OUR MANUFACTURING CAPACITY; OUR RELATIVE CLOSENESS TO THIS LARGE

MARKET AND THE APPRECIATION OF THE YEN.

3. IT SEEMED TO US, AND THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE JAPANESE RESPONSE, THAT THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNE

TIME TO TRY A DIFFERENT APPROACH, A HIGH-LEVEL MISSION THAT WOULD

SEEK TO INFLUENCE 'TOP DECISION-MAKERS' TO LOOK MORE FAVOURABLY ON THE IDEA OF DOING MORE BUSINESS WITH HONG KONG.

4. WHILE OUR PRINCIPAL INTEREST IS IN SELLING MORE TO JAPAN (AND

THUS DOING SOMETHING TO REDUCE THE ADVERSE BALANCE OF VISIBLE TRADE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND JAPAN, TO WHICH MR DELL REFERRED AGAIN ON HIS LATEST VISIT HERE), THE MISSION'S FORMAL STATEMENT

OF ITS AIMS IS:

A. TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL WHICH

HONG KONG OFFERS JAPAN:

B. TO EXPLORE JOINTLY THE OPPORTUNITIES WHICH EXIST IN HONG KONG

FOR INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT AND THE TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY BY

JAPANESE COMPANIES:.

C. TO ENCOURAGE THE EXPANSION OF TWO-WAY TRADE BETWEEN HONG

KONG AND JAPAN:

D. TO FOSTER GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN JAPAN AND HONG KONG AT A

SENIOR LEVEL IN BOTH THE, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.

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