i. If there is no change in Hong Kong's GATT
ii.
status, the GATT would continue to be applied
to Hong Kong through the U.K. in terms of
Articles XXIV 1 and XXVI 5(a) quoted above.
As long as Britain remains a separate contracting
party to the GATT, there would be no formal
change in the way Hong Kong would be represented
in the GATT by "the UK on behalf of Hong Kong"
whether such a spokesman sat with the EEC bloc
or elsewhere.
In the context of a proposal to give Hong Kong
authority to negotiate voluntary restraint agreements
with third countries outside the cotton textile
field, Sir Eugene Melville has suggested that
separate Hong Kong representation should be
sought in the GATT Cotton Textile Committee and
in the new GATT Working Party on Textiles. This
would amount to a Delegation of representation
by the UK. The advantages claimed for such an
arrangement are
a.
b.
there would be no difficulty about conflicting
views being expressed between UK and Hong
Kong representatives in the Committee and
such a form of independent representation of
Hong Kong could provide a test bed for
assessing whether wider freedom could be
given to Hong Kong in the GATT. Such a
change would have to be discussed with the
5.
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