TNAG-1154-FCO40-1434-Visits-by-Members-of-Parliament-(MPs)-to-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 27

(Mr Young) I think there is greater familiarity with counter-

trading in certain of our uropean competitor countries. I am thinking

here of West Germany in particular. They were very heavily involved

in the east/west counter-trade for many years. Some British companies

have considerable experience of it but in this country generally we

have perhaps unconsciously stayed clear of it.

The point for the future

is that if the current trend of international economios continues,

there is going to have to be more counter-trade and not just in South-

east Asia; it is going to be on a much wider besis, so we have to leam

some new tricks here. The avenues exist within the UK for counter-

trads and there are companies which are involved in it within the UK,

but British management has become more familiar with what can be done

through that type of business.

Sir Peter Enery

203. Is it not the cast that Hawker Siddeley had a very

successful counter-trading situation with Finland and carried it

through with great aplomb?

(Mr Checketts)

Yes.

The Cookeram

204.

You say in your document, paragraph 313, talking about the

Common Market, that the negative aspects of any incompatibility will have

to be nininised. We are talking of the triangular relationship that

exists here. What do you mean by that and what should be done?

(14: Checketts) I do not wish this to be a monologue,

Chaizman.

(Mr Young) If we get into a difficulty on bilateral relation

ships, as we did with Indonesia which is the best example, one has to be

more than conscious that it is a three-way discussion we are having

all the time and we have to involve Brussels and this is difficult.

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