TNAG-2356-FCO40-3427-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 86

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INFO ROUTINE PEKING, HONG KONG, MAFF, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

VISIT TO HONG KONG AND SHENZHEN BY MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE,

FISHERIES AND FOOD: 1-3 OCTOBER 1991

SUMMARY

1. A BUSY AND VARIED PROGRAMME. WHILE IN HONG KONG, MR GUMMER HELD A SERIES OF MEETINGS WITH HKG AND BTC OFFICIALS, VISITED A BRITISH OWNED FOOD FACTORY, AND EXPERIMENTAL FARM IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND AN OFFSHORE MARICULTURE ZONE, AND GAVE A RADIO INTERVIEW AND HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE. IN SHENZHEN THE MINISTER VISITED A BRITISH BISCUIT FACTORY, A CHICKEN FARM AND TOURED THE SHEKOU INDUSTRIAL ZONE. THE VISIT RECEIVED GOOD PUBLICITY THROUGHOUT.

DETAIL

2. MR GUMMER, ACCOMPANIED BY MRS GUMMER, HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY, DAVID ROSSINGTON, AND THE HEAD OF THE ERPT DIVISION IN MAFF, GRAHAM BELCHAMBER, VISITED HONG KONG AND THE SHENZHEN SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE OF CHINA FROM 1-3 OCTOBER. AS IN PEKING, HE CARRIED OUT AN INTENSIVE AND VARIED PROGRAMME.

3. AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN HONG KONG ON 1 OCTOBER, MR GUMMER ATTENDED A BRITISH BUSINESSMAN'S LUNCHEON GROUP WHERE HE SPOKE IMPRESSIVELY, LINKING COMMENTS ON HIS VISIT TO THE USSR WITH HIS OBSERVATIONS ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN CHINA. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A HELICOPTER TOUR OVER HONG KONG AND THEN A FACTORY VISIT TO AMOY INDUSTRIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, MAKERS OF SOYA AND OTHER SAUCES AND FROZEN FOODS FOR EXPORT, AND NOW OWNED BY GRAND MET FOLLOWING THEIR TAKE-OVER OF PILSBURY OF THE USA. AT AMOY INDUSTRIES MR GUMMER LEARNED OF A BILATERAL ARRANGEMENT, NEGOTIATED BY THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WHEREBY HONG KONG MEAT PRODUCTS CAN BE EXPORTED TO THE US ONLY IF THE MEAT CONTENT WAS FIRST IMPORTED FROM THE US, THEREBY GIVING AN ADVANTAGE TO US MEAT EXPORTERS. THE MINISTER SAID HE PROPOSED

TO RAISE THIS ON HIS RETURN TO LONDON.

4. MR GUMMER ALSO VISITED THE IMPRESSIVE KADOORIE EXPERIMENTAL

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