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You mentioned the broader question of whether British firms, their Chairmen and Chief Executives, are getting the level of their approaches here right. I think they probably are although I may not be best placed to give an authoritative answer. Peter Heap would be better. My own experience is that I see far more senior British businessmen, by a factor of about ten times, than I do those of any other country, even though Hong Kong's trading relations with several countries are, unfortunately, much more extensive than with the UK.
The experience of the Chief Secretary and Financial Secretary is the same. Both say they are lobbied far more by British business interests than those of any other country. The only point I would add is that there is no substitute for senior businessmen who are well informed, keen and competitive. Some British businessmen are first-rate at this. But, sadly, not all. Some give the impression that their name or the size of their company, should be enough to impress on its own. Others that there should be some obligation to push contracts in the direction of UK firms or, much worse, that Hong Kong is deliberately doing the opposite. The latter phenomenon is particularly self-defeating.
Finally, I repeat my appreciation to the Office for maintaining stoutly that the playing field in Hong Kong is level and not tilted against British firms. It will remain level and untilted. Equally, we will deal with all lobbying even handedly and, I hope, with patience.
Where did the stories about Giscard and Shultz
come from?
Sir John Coles KCMG DUSS
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
7
Governor
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