TNAG-1107-FCO40-1358-Inspection-of-the-British-Trade-Commission--Hong-Kong--in-Fe-1981 — Page 8

ADMINISTRATION IN CONFIDENCE

HIR 414/1

19

15 DECI9&1

INSPECTION OF HONG KONG: BRIEF BY TRED

1

1.

The following documents are attached to this brief:IBIR

Department of Trade and Industry briefs with Hints to Exporters to Hong Kong.

Work statistics for 1978, 1979 and 1980 and for the periods October 1979 to September 1980 and October 1980 to September 1981.

Α

(a)

(b)

B & C

NR

D

(c)

Workload profile for 1980..

(d)

E

See fu

Separate Self Inspection Questionnaires on Commercial Work for the Trade Commission and China Trade Unit, together with accompanying minutes.

COMMERCIAL STAFF

2.

1 x DS4

2 x DS5

1 x DS6

1 x DS7A

1 x DS7E

2 x LE1

3 x LE111A

1 x LE111A

1 x LE111A 2 x LE111B

Senior Trade Commissioner Trade Commissioner (Both China Trade) Trade Commissioner

Assistant Trade Commissioner (China Trade)

Assistant Trade Commissioner Commercial Officer

Commercial Assistant

Registrar

Personal Assistant Shorthand Typist

Mr D M March 90% Mr P A B Thomson Mr G C Perry 95% Mr J T Morrison

Mr A Seaton

Mr J G Rice Mr SH Leong Mr R Choy

Mr H Tsee

Mrs L Ng

Mrs J Hamilton Mrs E Lai

Mrs F Johnstone Mrs A Kwok Mrs E Ip

95%

COMMERCIAL WORKLOAD

3. Hong Kong was Britain's 19th largest market in 1980, taking exports to the value of £559.4 million, a 26.4% rise over the 1979 figure of £442.2 million and representing a 12.6% increase per annum in volume over the period 1975/80. Our market share in 1980 was 4.9%, compared with 4.2% in 1976 and 5.1% in 1979. The post have pointed out that Hong Kong's entrepôt trade with China now distorts the Colony's import figures and have claimed that Britain's market share of imports for local consumption is 6.1%. Britain's imports from Hong Kong in 1980 were valued at £850.3 million (£690.6 million in 1979).

4. We were unable to analyse the Trade Commission's commercial statistics in the usual manner as the figures include the activities of both Hong Kong commercial staff and the China Trade Unit, who cover Southern China. Nevertheless they reveal a high level of interest in Hong Kong over the past four years with an average of 16 outward missions per year, 11 or 12 of which usually required briefing or assistance, and some 470 British business visitors per annum. The 1980 total of local visitors, 2189,

1.

/appears