CONFIDENTIAL
010561 MDHIAN 8927
ANY SPECIAL HEED FOR BRITAIN'S INTERESTS. THEY CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THE APPROVED SECONDMENT SCHEME WOULD BE A WAY OF ENSURING THAT THE BRITISH COMPANIES, WHO IN SO MANY CASES HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO HONG KONG'S LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT, WOULD BE SPECIALLY FAVOURED. I ASSUME THAT THIS INDEED WOULD BE THE CASE IF THE SCHEME IS RETAINED, SINCE BRITISH COMPANIES MORE THAN OTHERS WOULD HAVE THE FACILITIES FOR ROTATING STAFF THROUGH UK.
4.
THUS I BELIEVE THERE WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT LOSS TO BRITISH INTERESTS IF THE SCHEME IS ABANDONED. THE EXTENT IS HARD TO QUANTIFY WITHOUT KNOWING HOW MANY PASSPORTS WERE TO HAVE BEEN APPORTIONED TO IT. I HOPE HOWEVER THAT IT CAN BE RETAINED. IF IT IS NOT, THEN IT INCREASES THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING HIGH MARKS WITHIN THE MAIN SCHEME TO BRITISH INTERESTS AND ENSURING THAT E.G. A KEY EMPLOYEE IN A BRITISH COMPANY HERE CAN EARN AS MANY OR MORE POINTS ON THE GROUNDS OF BRITISH CONNECTIONS THAN, SAY, SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN TO A BRITISH BOARDING SCHOOL AND NOW WORKS FOR AN AMERICAN MULTI NATIONAL BANK IN HONG KONG. MOREOVER, SINCE THE SCHEME HAS BEEN SO WIDELY DISCUSSED, AND FORMED PART OF THE OUTLINE PUT TO PARLIAMENT, ITS WITHDRAWAL WOULD CERTAINLY BE SEEN AS A BLOW BY BRITISH BUSINESS INTERESTS.
HEAP
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15
LIMITED
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DISTRIBUTION
15
MR MCLAREN
PAGE 2 CONFIDENTIAL
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