C.S. 166
CONFIDENTIAL 機密
XCCI(77)3
- 4.
countries which also happen to be big exporters of textiles and clothing, as several Member States, including the UK are. In such cases the only valid measure of the state of an industry is not the level of imports or import penetration but the level of production, including production for export.
14
Recent information from Brussels indicates that the EEC is very close to an agreement on its negotiating mandate and it is possible that, instead of seeking changes, it may either seek an "improved interpretation" of the MFA which would allow the fixing of "global quotas"; or make a statement in the Textiles Committee of its intention to fix "global" ceilings and then to negotiate bilateral quotas within these ceilings.
15
Latest reports from Brussels also indicate that the EEC has agreed on very restrictive directives for bilateral negotiations with Hong Kong and other major Asian suppliers. Clearly the EEC is hoping to achieve in bilateral negotiations what it cannot achieve in the multilateral context. Hong Kong, as the major "low cost" supplier, is regarded as the key to the situation.
The Position of other Developed Countries
16
Some other developed countries (Australia, Canada, the Nordic countries and Austria) are also in favour of more restrictive changes to the MFA. But unless the EEC continues to adopt the same line, they will have little influence on the outcome of the Geneva negotiations.
17
Japan has so far adopted a rather low profile but it is unlikely that it will stand in the way of a decision to extend the MFA without change.
The Position of Developing Countries
18
In spite of attempts by the EEC to split the developing camp by drawing attention to the large shares of its market held by dominant suppliers such as Hong Kong and South Korea, and by dangling before "new suppliers" the proposal to give them a "fair" share at the expense of Hong Kong and South Korea, the developing countries on the whole have continued to support the extension of the MFA without change.
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