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HAD TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THE STRENGTH OF HONG KONG FEELING ON THE SUBJECT WAS CLEAR, BUT PEOPLE MUST BEAR IN MIND ALSO THE WIDER POLITICAL REALITIES. AS FOR JAPAN, GREAT EFFORTS HAD BEEN MADE TO PERSUADE THEM TO TAKE REFUGEES, BUT THEY HAD SIMPLY REFUSED.
ECONOMIC ISSUES
8.
MARTIN BARROW WELCOMED THE ENHANCED BRITISH ECONOMIC PRESENCE
IN HONG KONG. BUT HONG KONG'S ROLE AS A GATEWAY TO CHINA NEEDED FURTHER EMPHASIS. THE STRONG GROWTH IN RE-EXPORTS FROM HONG KONG SHOWED THE POTENTIAL. OTHER COUNTRIES (JAPAN, FRG, US) WERE ACTING ON THIS FASTER THAN BRITAIN. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE WAS CONCERN IN HONG KONG ABOUT THE IMPACT OF 1992: WOULD THIS CREATE A FORTRESS
EUROPE? ON THE FIFST POINT LORD GLENARTHUR SAID THAT HE HOPED
BRITISH COMPANIES WOULD DO MORE MOTH DIRECTLY IN RESPECT OF THE HONG KONG MARKET AND TO EXPLOIT HONG KONG'S ROLE AS A GATEWAY TO
CHINA. HE GAVE FIGURES TO SHOW THE GROWTH IN BILATERAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT BETWEEN THE UK AND HONG KONG. AS FOR 1992, IT WAS WRONG TO SUGGEST THAT THE REMOVAL OF INTERNAL BARRIERS IN THE EUROPEAN MARKET WOULD MEAN THE CREATION OF NEW EXTERNAL ONES. THE AIM WAS LIBERALISATION AND COMPETITION, NOT PROTECTIONISM. THE UK WOULD ALWAYS BEAR HONG KONG'S INTERESTS IN MIND.
HONG KONG TRAVELLERS TO THE UK
9.
SELINA CHOW THANKED LORD GLENARTHUR WARMLY FOR HIS EFFORTS TO SORT OUT THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY HONG KONG TRAVELLERS TO THE UK. THE MEASURES TAKEN HAD EVIDENTLY BEEN EFFECTIVE, AS OMELCO HAD RECEIVED NO FURTHER COMPLAINTS. GIVEN THAT THE HOT LINE SERVICE HAD HAD RECEIVED ONLY TWO CALLS, OMELCO SAW NO NEED TO EXTEND IT TO A 24-HOUR SERVICE. LORD GLENARTHUR THANKED HER FOR THESE REMARKS, AND SAID THAT HE WOULD CONTINUE TO KEEP A WATCH ON THIS IMPORTANT AREA.
WILSON
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