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by value?
Allogical
matters which adversely, and more importantly, unfairly affect Hong Kong; and indeed it should be expected to go further by defending Hong Kong in such circumstances".
Since these events, we have been flooded with press enquiries on the Brussels reports and the UK's position. As far as the EEC position is concerned, we have of course no alternative but to say that the imposition of global quotas is contrary to the provisions of the MFA and Hong Kong will certainly oppose any such proposal. But where the UK is concerned, I am sure I need not tell you the difficult position we find ourselves in.
In these circumstances you will understand why it would be more than helpful to have some response to all the points we have made so laboriously and so many times.
As you know, a Seminar on the MFA organised by the Commonwealth, Secretariat and hosted by Hong Kong started on 9 May. The discussions will be private but the opening session, at which I delivered the opening speech, was attended by the press. I enclose a copy of my
speech.
To end this letter on a happier note, I see from a press report datelined London 5 May that the British textiles and clothing industry has made big gains in exports in the first quarter of this year compared with the first quarter of last year. The value of total exports of textiles and clothing increased by 47% from £277 million last year to £407 million this year. The value of clothing exports increased by 61% from £74 million to £119 million this year. Other textile exports also increased in value by 42% from £203 million last year to £288 million this year.
The
This is quite remarkable an achievement by any standards. press report does not mention UK imports at all. One wonders how they fared in the first quarter of this year. In 1976 UK exports of textiles and clothing increased in value by 40% while imports increased by only 15%, and exports amounted to 85% of imports; hence the deficit in this sector was reduced from £424 million in 1975 to £247 million in 1976. Even if imports this year have increased, I doubt if they could have increased at the same rate as exports.
If so, then the gap between imports and exports will have been further narrowed and one cannot help but suspect that, by calling for further restrictions in imports while exports are expanding at such a rate, the British manufacturers are trying to have their cake and eat it, saying in effect "Other countries must not be allowed to export more to us because we want to have a greater share of our home market, but at the same time we should be able to export as much as we like".
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Dazzl
(D.H. Jordan)