}
HONG KONG'S POST ENTRY GATT POSITION
8.
The alternatives open to Hong Kong would appear to be:
i.
ii.
If there is no change in Hong Kong's GATT status the GATT would conlume to be applied to book
- combine to apply the CATT ve Hong Kong
though the UK
Li
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 representa-
tion 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.
5.