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The Star - 10/12/11
HK MUST FIGHT UK'S TARIFF
LONGKONG must fight Britain's tariff and quota plan "as a matter of principle" which could set a precedent for other
countries to follow.
Mr Francis Tien, chairman of the Hong- kong Garment Manu- facturers' Association, said this today.
''If we allow the Bri- tish Government to get away with this, other countries will have the idea that they can do the same thing.
"This is a lack of
good faith and Hong- kong manufacturers and especially the textile Industry, intend to fight the move."
Mr Tien said in 1969, the then president of the Board of Trade, Mr Crossland, made a po- licy speech saying that when the tariff began in 1972, the quota sys-
tem would be abolish- ed,
This, Mr Tien said, was made in a speech to Parliament and bound Britain to a moral obligation.
"We are going to fight for those prin- ciples laid down in 1969," Mr Tien said,
Lack faith
"How
can Britain re-impose quotas in ad- dition to tariff, This is a lack of good faith on Britain's part,
"And it was done without even discussing the matter with Hong- kong.
"The textile industry will demand a with-
a
drawal of the tariff."* he said.
Mr Tien said he would be meeting the Financial Secretary, Mr C. P. Haddon Cave, next week at which time the whole matter would be discussed and also what moves the Hongkong textile in- dustry should take.
Mr Haddon Cave flew into Hongkong last night where he held a Press conference.
AL the conference, Mr Haddon Cave said Hongkong had never faced a double form of
W
*
tariff before and "we deserve better, special treatment."
He said some of the reasons for the tariff and quota system to be introduced were Bri- tain's high unemploy- ment, the Wakelihood of 2 sudden upsurge of imports to the UK and protection for the UK cotton Industry,
But Mr Haddon Cave also said the new sys- tem would not lead to high unemployment in Hongkong and would not affect Hongkong's workers very much,