Ref. CR/EIC 230/20/1
Assessment on Effects of Discrimination
against Hong Kong Footwear in GSP Schemes
operated by Certain OECD Countries
At the moment 8 schemes of generalised preferences
are being operated by sixteen OECD countries.
countries are :
EEC (Nine), Austria, Canada,
The donor
2.
Finland, Japan, Norway,
Sweden and Switzerland
Thus,
The schemes operated by Canada, Finland, Norway and
Sweden have excluded footwear from beneficiary treatment.
although Hong Kong has been excluded from the Finnish and Nor-
wegian schemes, there is no discrimination against Hong Kong in
so far as footwear is concerned. On the other hand Hong Kong
footwear has been totally and discriminatorily excluded from the
schemes operated by the EEC (Nine), Austria and Switzerland and
partly in the scheme operated by Japan.
3.
Hong Kong trade statistics showing exports of footwear
to countries which maintained discrimination against Hong Kong
in footwear is at enclosures 1 to 5. For ease of reference the
Hong Kong export figures have been re-grouped to bring them in
line with EEC statistical groupings. A table showing Hong Kong
exports of footwear to the world also basing on the same statistical
groupings is at enclosure 6.
4.
The above tables show that
(i) between 1970 and 1973 Hong Kong global exports of
footwear have declined by 28.2% in quantity and 13%
/in