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NOTES FOR TALKS WITH MR JORDAN
1.
Mr Jordan is an Administrative Officer of Secretary rank in the Hong Kong Government. His present job is Director of Commerce and Industry. When Mr Haddon-Cave is away he acts as Financial Secretary. He is independently responsible for the direction of most of Hong Kong's overseas trade. He has a deserved reputation for intelligence and abrasiveness.
2.
The purpose of his present visit to the UK is to discuss the Community's GSP scheme and the prospects for a Community mandate for negotiations with Hong Kong under the MFA (Multi Fibre Arrangement). He has already had separate discussions with officials from the Department of Trade and Department of Industry as well as a general meeting at the Department of Trade chaired by Mr Preston. His programme is attached.
Generalised Scheme of Preferences
3. During the negotiations for British entry to the Community in 1971, it was agreed that Hong Kong should be admitted to the Community's GSP seheme subject to the exclusion of textiles and footwear. At the time this looked like a reasonable bargain since there was pressure in the Community to exclude Hong Kong altogether from the scheme. However, Mr Rippon assured Hong Kong that after accession "it must be our continuing concern to avoid discriminating against Hong Kong in favour of its principal competitors among the developing countries".
4.
Hong Kong reminded us of this undertaking before the UK aligned with the Community's scheme on 1 January 1974. Their point was that, whatever the other Community members might choose to do, the UK, by granting tariff preferences on textiles and footwear under the scheme to some of Hong Kong's major competitors (e.g. Philippines, Thailand and Yugoslavia), and by withholding them from Hong Kong, would be discriminating against its own Colony.
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