TNAG-0915-FCO40-1126-Inspection-of-British-Trade-Commission--Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 53

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HICK 414/1.

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2 & FEB 1979

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LH March Esq OBE

Senior British Trade Commissioner

HONG KONG

HKK 414/1

See 3

27 February 1979

DIRECTIVE FOR THE SENIOR BRITISH TRADE COMMISSIONER, HONG KONG

1.

Thank you for your letter of 23 January. We have noted your arguments and accepted without alteration your proposal for paragraph 4 of the directive.

2. On the question of ultimate responsibility for Ministerial visits, we agree with the reasoning in paragraph 2 of your letter. we would always wish to give the Governor forewarning of a Ministerial visit and thus provide the liong Kong Govern- ment with the opportunity to assume responsibility. We would not wish to exclude the ministers of Trade and industry from this arrangement and have made this clear in our redraft of paragraph lc. of the directive, which now reads:-

3.

"To provide advice and assistance, in coordination where appropriate with the Hong Kong Government, to visiting British hinisters, hrs, officials, businessmen and VIPs, to the extent that their visits are concerned with the promotion of British exports. Unless you are specific- ally informed to the contrary, you will not be responsible for the general coordination of visits to ong Kong by British ministers or senior officials: this responsibility will normally lie with the Hong Kong Government.

Personnel Operations Department will be issuing the directive in due course.

P J Williamson

Hong Kong and General Department

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