CONFIDENTIAL
FM BTC HONG KONG
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 98
OF 23085OZ FEBRUARY 89
AND TO ROUTINE DTI
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY ST? DIST 7
нко зот
4FEB.989
Q5
144710
MDLIAN 9590
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ARTICLE ON HONG KONG
sem
1. DAVID TANG HAS FAXED ME THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ARTICLE (FEBRUARY 19): BRITAIN IS MISSING THE BOAT IN HONG KONG. IT HAS THE STAMP OF BOTH ALGY CLUFF AND HENRY KESWICK. THEIR INTENTIONS ARE GOOD (IN THAT BRITISH COMPANIES COULD CERTAINLY BE DOING MORE IN HONG KONG) BUT THEIR TECHNIQUE MAY BE SELF-DEFEATING. STATEMENTS SUGGESTING BRITISH INACTIVITY COULD LOSE US THE RESPECT AND ATTENTION OF SOME OF OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS HERE.
2. THE TRADE COMMISSION HAS BEEN ACTIVELY DEMONSTRATING THAT BRITAIN'S INVOLVEMENT IN HONG KONG IS LARGE AND HAS BEEN MUCH UNDER-RATED. WE HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION TO SUCCESSES AND TO THE FACT THAT MANY MORE BRITISH COMPANIES ARE COMING HERE AND DOING BUSINESS. I THINK WE HAVE MANAGED TO IMPROVE THE BRITISH COMMERCIAL IMAGE INSPITE OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE WORKING AGAINST A TIDE OF POLITICAL DOUBT AND SUSPICION.
3. THE WORST POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL MESSAGE TO PRESENT IN HONG KONG IS THAT BRITAIN IS STARTING FROM A BASE OF DISINTEREST. IT ISN'T TRUE BUT THERE ARE MANY WHO WOULD GLADLY SEIZE ON SUCH A MESSAGE AS CONFIRMATION THAT BRITAIN IS WASHING ITS HANDS OF HONG KONG. NOR SHOULD WE APPEAR TO BE BEGGING COLONIAL FAVOURS FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. THAT COULD REVIVE THE PREVIOUSLY HELD VIEW THAT BRITISH COMPANIES ARE NON-COMPETITIVE.
4 IT IS MUCH BETTER TO REMIND PEOPLE IN HONG KONG THAT WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AND ENTHUSIASTIC COMMERCIAL PRESENCE (BRITISH INVESTMENT IS AT LEAST AS BIG AS JAPANESE INVESTMENT), THAT THE BUSINESS LINK IS GROWING AND THAT BRITISH COMPANIES ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO DO EVEN MORE HERE.
5. I HAVE TOLD CLUFF AND KESWICK AT VARIOUS TIME THAT UNLESS THEY ARE CAREFUL THEY COULD EASILY UNDO THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE HERE TO SHOW THAT BRITAIN REALLY DOES HAVE A LARGE AND GROWING COMMERCIAL INTEREST IN HONG KONG. OF COURSE BRITISH COMPANIES COULD
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