TNAG-1401-FCO40-1873-Future-of-Hong-Kong-continued-participation-in-the-General-A-1985 — Page 230

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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Me // London SW1A 2AH Mr Galsworthy he

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This has been copied to PA Hong Kong + BTC (X below). NFA by us at this stage I think. But note

But note para 15

Heads of Missions on the DTS paper, especially pont (6). Hay Kay will lose out

attached list

НКС 040 124

AUCHA

4 MAR 1935

6

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if special treatment is to be reserved for the "less developed". We should guard against the possibility, that it

through will also lose out havin than other NICS.

ear Head of Dission,

NEW GATT ROUND

1.

26 February 1985

having a more

a more open trade poliin

Robie 28/2

I enclose a paper by the Department of Trade and Industry, which gives background guidance on the proposed new round of GATT multilateral trade negotiations, sets out the current issues and explains in very general terms UK objectives.

2. You will have seen that President Reagan endorsed the idea of a new round in his State of the Union address, calling on all trading partners to begin it in the next year. You will also have seen that, in her speech to Congress, the Prime Minister supported President Reagan's call for a new round. Our strategic objective is in preserving the multilateral trading system represented by the GATT, and we believe that a new round is needed in order to achieve that.

A

3. I am sending this paper to Heads of posts in all countries that have contracted or acceded provisionally to the GATT, as well as countries which maintain a de facto application of the GATT pending final decisions as to their future commercial policy. full list of GATT membership as at 1 November 1984 is at Annex B to the paper. As the note makes clear, we would be grateful for any reports of significant developments in other governments' thinking on this subject, but are not at present asking posts to lobby or make enquiries. The DTI paper can be drawn on freely.

4.

I am also copying this paper for information to major members of the Group of 77 in UNCTAD who are neither contracting parties nor de facto GATT territories (Mexico, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia); to Peking, in view of China's stated wish to accede to the GATT (and admission with observer status); to UKMIS Geneva, UKREP Brussels, UKDEL Paris and UKMIS New York; and to the Political Adviser and Senior Trade Commissioner, Hong Kong.

Jour

e

John Sheph

JA SHEPHERD

European Community Department

(External)

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