CONFIDENTJAL
-2-
4. AS REGARDS INFORMING GATT, IF THE PRACTICAL CHANGES FOR GATT
PROCEDURE WILL BE AS LIMITED AS SUGGESTED ABOVE, IT WOULD SEEM DESIRABLE TO NOTIFY LONG AND INTERESTED CONTRACTING PARTIES MAINLY
IN ORDER TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDINGS. HAVING GOT WIND THAT CHANGES
WERE TAKING PLACE THEY MIGHT OTHERWISE ASSUME THAT MORE WAS
INVOLVED THAN WILL BE THE CASE AND ON THAT ASSUMPTION FIND IT ODD
THAT NEW ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED FOR EXPRESSING HONG
KONG'S VIEWS IN GATT ON NON-COTTONS WHEN THERE IS NO SPECIAL
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT ON THE LATTER. NOTIFICATION COULD BE INFORMAL
AND, HAVING OUTLINED THE CHANGE IN POLICY, COULD SAY THAT IN FUTURE
HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVES WOULD SPEAK FOR HONG KONG WHEN NON--
COTTON TEXTILES WERE DISCUSSED IN THE GATT IN THE SAME WAS AS THEY
DID NOW ON COTTONS IN THE COTTON TEXTILE COMMITTEE AS MEMBERS OF THE
V.K. DELEGATION. OTHER INTERESTED DELEGATIONS COULD SIMILARLY BE
INFORMED HERE ALTHOUGH YOU MAY PREFER TO TAKE ACTION IN CAPITALS
LEAVING US TO ANSWER ENQUIRIES AS THEY ARISE.
FCO PASS HONG KONG AND SAVING TO PEKING.
MR BUXTON
[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DISTRIBUTION
H.K.D.
ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION H.K.INT TRADE
COPIES TO:
MR. GREGORY MINTECH MR. DUNNETT B.O.T.
MR. NICOLL B.O.T.
CONFIDENTIAL