TNAG-0938-FCO40-1157-Visit-of-John-Nott--Secretary-of-State-for-Trade--to-Hong-Ko-1980 — Page 172

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Mr Michael P Boerner

Counsellor for Economic Affairs

American Embassy Grosvenor Square

LONDON W1A 1AE

HK

02614

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

No London new

4/2

1 February 1980

2

Dear Mike

"

SPEECH IN HONG KONG BY SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE

معقد

We spoke on the telephone about the "Financial Times" report

of 30 January about this speech. I now enclose' a copy of the text as delivered.

Mr Nott arrived back in London yesterday and gave a press Attached conference.

He said that he had been misquoted in the "Financial Times" item. He had not said in his speech that the UK were going to resort to temporary protection of the textile industry. He had made clear that the Multifibre Arrangement was in existence and the bilateral agreement with Hong Kong would be adhered to. It was however too soon to talk about the next round of negotiations but the MFA was firm and settled and the UK would abide by it.

it

The text itself makes clear that Mr Nott's speech comprised two parts. The first, and much the larger, covered general UK trade and industrial policy. The second dealt with Hong Kong and textiles. The two parts were clearly separate but the "Financial Times" seems to have mixed up extracts from each thus wrongly creating the impression that a warning of tough measures was being given to the Hong Kong industry.

Jens

Dich wir

R D Clift

Hong Kong and General Department