1.
GV EXTERIOR Exhibition (3 shots)
0.18

2.
GV PAN People looking at exhibits (2 shots)
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3.
GV PAN Sea exploration equipment on display
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4.
GV Rolls Royce engine on display
0.51

5.
GV Industrial clothing on show
0.56

6.
GV PAN Other exhibits on show
1.01

7.
GV & CU Floating storage tanks
1.18



Initials CL/2340 CL/2350



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Britain, the world's newest oil producer, hopes to sell off-shore oil industry machinery to China through an exhibition which opened in Singapore on Tuesday (17 February), according to a senior British Government official.

Sir Jack Rampton, permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Energy department, said he hoped to meet the Chinese delegation to a four day international off-shore oil conference which coincides with the exhibition.

He pointed out that Britain and China were already engaged in various trade fields, and said he understood the Chinese had a long shopping list for their off-shore oil industry.

More than 100 British companies are represented at the conference and the exhibition, which, Sir Jack said, amounted to Britain's biggest overseas oil industry export effort.

Sales of oil industry components are a spin-off from Britain's North Sea oilfields, which will make Britain self sufficient in oil by 1980.

Delegates from twenty countries will be among the seven thousand people expected to attend the machinery exhibition.

Five national stands, representing British, Dutch, French, Norwegian and Finnish interests are among the 350 separate exhibits on display.

The exhibition will cost the organisers about 6.5 million dollars U.S. (about 3 million pounds sterling) to stage.