-10-
which the Community, and you inparticular
Mr. Chairman, have made of the desire to help the developing world. The se thoroughly objectional proposals furthermore do nothing whatsoever to increase the protection which you seek for domestic producers. Instead their likely effect is to reduce trade opportunities for all developing countries, and an undoubted effect is to reduce trade opportunities for Hong Kong in particular.
33.
We have read in the Press and been
told informally that the sacrifices which Hong Kong is being asked to make do not involve discrimination against Hong Kong because similar sacrifices are being asked of South Korea and
Taiwan.
these statements are serious. Disregarding the fact that within the so-called non-discriminati
there are, in fact, discriminatory cutbacks, what the Community is saying is that it intends to d is criminate against Hong Kong and to dig- criminate against South Korea and to discriminate against Taiwan and to discriminate in favour of certain other suppliers. To argue that the sum of these various degrees of discrimination equals
non-discrimination is arrant nonsense
I find it difficult to believe that
34.
This leads to the second part of my response, namely the effects which these concepts and your proposals would have as far as Hong Kong
is concerned.
35.
I will disregard cotton yarn which is at present not subject to restraint. Where the other 7 items in your so-called group I are concerned, exports of these over the last 5 years ranged between 59% and 62% of Hong Kong's textiles and clothing exports to the EEC, 20% and 24% of Hong Kong's global exports of textiles and clothing and 11% and 12% of Hong Kong's total domestic expor
136.
..