TNAG-1844-FCO40-2619-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 82

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TRANSCRIPT D: BUNG KONG SELECT COMMITTEE MEETING 22 MAX 89

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FORKIGH SECRBIARY:

An, there is absolutely no foundation for that belief at

a]].

with the independence The Hong Kong Government, of course, on which colleagues have commented, manages its own affairs and determines its own contracts and its own purveyors of goods to the

Hong Kong Government, but there is nu inhibition whatsoever arising from that on the pursuit of commercial British interests

and we have got, as you know, our Trade Commisciquer there.

He has post has recently been upgraded tu ambassadorial rank. equal status to the Consul General of the United States and the

Japanese Consul General and is able to pursue his work as

energetically as they are.

The

The Trade Commission, in fact, is going to be further expanded in readiness for its becoming a British Consulate General in 1997 and we are already planning for a well-located and prominent Consulate General building at that time, so it will be a very sizeabic mileh among our largest posts, and I think yo

will find that all the normal trade promotion activities

missions, exhibitions and se

inward

OD are sustained and managed by our

Trade Commissioner and Ministers, of course, have given very

powerful support as well.