TNAG-2765-FCO40-3982-UK-Hong-Kong-Scholarship-Scheme-donation-to-the-UK-Governme-1993 — Page 57

From R.F. Cornish LVO British Senior Trade Commissioner

imit'n

CO Hum Esq

AUSS

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C. D. Bans Down

De Noove, RM.

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FCO

cc: Hugh Davies Esq

UKREP, JLG

1. Lears (RD

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British Trade Commission

9th Floor

Hong Kong

Bank of America Tower 18 Harcourt Road Central

Hong Kong

Tel No: · 523 0176 Fax No: 845 2870

11 October 1993 ·

Dear Christopher

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RECE

ISTRY

OBL 1993

IN

SPONSORED VISIT PROGRAMME

1. Thank you for your letter of 8 October, and for considering whether savings from the rundown of the FCOSAS scheme for Hong Kong could usefully be deployed elsewhere for programme budgets within your command. I entirely support your endeavour to redeploy some of the savings.

2. The search for good candidates from within the Trade Commission clientele will always be difficult. But, although we have not yet found the best way to use the money, the picture is not as bleak as you suggest. We have five acceptances for Category One visits during the current financial year and are in touch with OVIS about this. The difficulty arises from the fact that our Category One targets are extremely busy. Many of them tend to. go Britain regularly under their own steam and are not readily divertible for our.. own programmes. In our view, it is the public sector which holds the better prospect. It is the public sector, on which we should concentrate increasingly in the run up to 1997. . Ne believe that for FY 1994/95 six Category One visits is about right but that there would be advantage in an increased quota of, say, nine Category One visits for 1995/96 and 1996/97.

3.

Category Two will continue to be very difficult. The sort.... of senior person whom we should have in our sights cannot afford to add substantial periods to existing business visits to the UK. We think we should hold on to the existing, six for Category Two but see little point in seeking an increase..

4. This suggests a modest expansion with equally modest financial implications. It would not do. a lot to limit the effects of the drastic drop from £2.2 million to £0.5 million set out in Peter Ricketts's letter of 7 June to Hugh Davies. Meanwhile; we have been considering with the British Council

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