TNAG-1159-FCO40-1439-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 76

OVERSEAS TRADE DIVISION 4/2

DEPARTMENT OF TRADE

1 VICTORIA STREET

RESTRICTED

R D Clift Esq

HK and G Department

FCO

London SW1

Doar Dick,

(85

*

LONDON SW1H OET

Telephone Direct Line

Switchboard

01-215 5242

01-215 7877

23 July 1982

Hiere 026/5

if (LOTH?

103

See (113

PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: SPEECH TO BUSINESSMEN

Thank you for your letter of 14 July. The division of labour you suggested seems sensible.

114

(iz)

2. I enclose 3 copies of draft passages for the speech which we have tried to frame so that they follow on from an opening drafted by the FCO. We have cleared these with DOI and DOT colleagues. When the whole thing is stitched together there may be a degree of repetition notably in complimentary references to the Hong Kong economy, but this can no doubt be ironed out before submission to No 10.

3.

Other points I should note now are:-

(a) some of the UK economic statistics can probably be updated before the PM leaves. You will no doubt put down a marker with No 10 to that effect: it would also be helpful to know when the closing date for textual changes will be;

(b) the DOI Investment in Britain Bureau would like to keep open an option for two or three extra lines at the end of the second paragraph on page 5 to advertise an IBB seminar to be held in Hong Kong in November;

(c) the figures about our imports from Hong Kong are, we think,

accurate enough though they may be out by the odd million or so, due to the Civil Service strike requiring us to combine UK and HK figures which then raises the usual potential questions about exchange rates, coverage, valuation base, etc. No doubt the HK government will jump on us over every cent's worth of difference;

It would

A speech

(a) we wondered a little about the passage on textiles. be strange to say nothing in the only major speech. is not, however, the place for a lengthy defence of our position and would take too much attention from the general theme, bearing in mind too that she will have only 20 minutes or so. But the passage has had to be gloomy, to avoid creating undue optimism about the essential outcome.