dti
the department for Enterprise
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as soon as possible,
as possible, both to enhance his prestige and provide a better base for the time after 1997 when the Trade Commission will become a Consulate General in what will be by then the most important business centre in China.
5.
UK.
The greatest scope for improvement is in our efforts in the Exports begin at home. Many British companies have the wrong psychological approach to Hong Kong. They see 1997 as the end of an era of British influence and consequently adopt a negative attitude to the market. Our competitors do not have this historical hang-up and rightly see 1997 as releasing new opportunities.
6. We must get this message across to UK companies. At present, there is an active promotional programme directed by the businessmen of the Hong Kong Trade Advisory Group. But we need
to put our effort on a different scale. I am considering appointing a businessman with direct experience of the Hong Kong
market to act as a London-based Trade Commissioner. He would
visit Hong Kong frequently but would spend most of his time in
the UK promoting the Hong Kong market. He could also use his contacts in Hong Kong to promote further Hong Kong investment in
this country, although he would do so discreetly.
We
7. My ideas on this proposal are not yet fully formed. will need to work out a precise role and identify a candidate with the right business background and with the personal qualities to inform and motivate a wide range of exporters to
Hong Kong large and small, active and potential. He would be based in my Department and might either work full-time or part-time. I am convinced that Hong Kong provides a special opportunity over the next few years and that we need to approach it in an imaginative way.
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2588-273
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