TNAG-2960-FCO40-4239-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-building-incl-1993 — Page 70

20 April 1993

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Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

London SWIA 2AH

Telephone: 071- 2702068

ipa

35

Ms Jean Gray

OT2

DTI

fax 215 4701

Dear Jean,

49015.0

£661 DDV ZZ

HICD 406/2

FUTURE CONSULATE GENERAL IN HONG KONG: BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

1.

We spoke this morning about Russ Jarvis' advance warning that the Chamber of Commerce have it in mind to give Mr Needham, during his visit to Hong Kong, a paper which inter alia requests that they be allocated more space in the future Consulate General than the 120 square metres now shown in the plans.

2.

We recommend that Mr Needham should be non committal and confine his response to agreeing to passing the request to the FCO, as the managers of the project.

3.

For your own background information, I have requested BTC to let us have their views on the Chamber of Commerce's plans. As you know, Mr Smith-Laittan has been promoting the Chamber with visiting buinessmen and through cooperation locally. OT2 suggested when I came over with the Management Review Staff before our visit to Hong Kong that the Chamber still have some way to go before proving themselves as a going concern. At a meeting of the Local Steering Committee which I attended in Hong Kong at the end of last month, some members wondered why no consideration had been given during the latest round of cost cutting on the building to looking again at the presence in the building of the Chamber of Commerce. If they do have it in mind to expand dramatically from the present set up (the space assigned them in the building now would allow them room for 5 or 6 people) we will certainly need to look very carefully at their proposals before taking any decision. We also have to tackle the question of how to arrange remuneration for the facilities offered if they do move in, (as you know the terms of our lease technically preclude subletting for gain).

lt.grey.dbj

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