TNAG-0938-FCO40-1157-Visit-of-John-Nott--Secretary-of-State-for-Trade--to-Hong-Ko-1980 — Page 164

CONFIDENTIAL

M. juntar

me. Blauri

ARED

PS/IPS PIHA-BLAMEN PS JAN. RIDITY PS/PUL

SiRD MATHLAND AND

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE nn compi

FCS/80/46

1.

Lord Analges

EEDLEY

Visit to the Far East

cc Prime Minister

S/S Industry

Wis

HM Ambassador, Tokyo HM Ambassador, Seoul

Lef.3.

Mir w

wil

our ext बि 315 £03/3

Thank you for your letter of 19 February about your visits to Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. I was interested to read your impres- sions of what was clearly a very useful tour.

2. I take your point about the value of Ministerial visits to countries like Korea. The Koreans attach importance to their links with Britain and, as our Ambassador has reported, were particularly pleased that you should have visited them so soon after the inauguration of their new President. I had myself thought of including Korea in a Far East tour this year (I plan to visit China, Japan and Hong Kong) but the timing now looks too tight. Peter Blaker may be able to fit in a visit.

3. I am glad that you were favourably impressed by the efforts of our Ambassador and his commercial department.

And the scope which you identified for cooperation with Korea in third countries is encouraging. We now need to persuade our businessmen to give, the Korean market the attention it deserves.

The China connection 4. I agree with your comments on Hong Kong. apart, Hong Kong is an important market in its own right.

But

is also one of the most competitive markets anywhere in the world and our exporters will need to grasp the opportunities vigorously if we are to increase our share of its imports of manufactured goods

5.

I note your sober assessment of the prospects for trade with Japan. Even last year when our exports there reached record levels they still fell far short of our imports, and the latter were con- tinuing to grow at a faster pace. I am sure you are right that the future lies in greater industrial cooperation. But I am conscious too, as Japan's economic strength increases, of the need to keep up the process of political consultation. The Japanese welcomed your visit not simply as a trade promotion exercise but also as a demonstration of our good political relations.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

트

(CARRINGTON)

28 February 1980

JE