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favour of its principal competitors among the developing countries."
3. Mr Rippon also sent messages to the Governor of Hong Kong
recording our intention thereafter to pursue the aim of eliminating
discrimination against Hong Kong "in our technical contacts on the
adaptation of our scheme to that of the Community and after
enlargement, in the annual reviews in which we shall participate as
full Members". He concluded by saying "We shall not let those
opportunities go by". Further details of these statements are at
Annex A and in the flagged papers.
4.
We are committed by Protocol 23 to the Treaty of Accession to
align with the Community's GSP from 1 January 1974. This arrangement
was negotiated in December 1971, after the arrangements for Hong Kong
had been signed.
THE HONG KONG CASE
5. At talks in London in July this year Hong Kong officials
reminded us of Mr Rippon's undertakings and asked for them to be
fulfilled. The Governor has since reported his anxieties in his
telegram No 827. In particular he is worried "about the likely
short-term political impact on a situation in which the United
Kingdom has discriminated against Hong Kong, and Hong Kong only, in
respect of textiles and footwear. It is just the sort of issue
likely to raise emotive hackles
statistically, in his telegram No 87, the effects of exclusion on
the Hong Kong economy.
837
He has also set out
Subsequently he has informed us (Hong Kong
telegram No 1065) of preferences enjoyed by the UK in Hong Kong,
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