this involves the common commercial policy) to try to resolve the issues in dispute. If this fails the GATT Council can be asked to appoint a panel to adjudicate on the matter and make recommendations. So far two rounds of consultations have been held with the EEC Commission and the French, and another is scheduled. Although the French have made some movement it is not enough to justify Hong Kong dropping its complaint and it seems likely that it will be necessary to request the setting up of a GATT panel.
The UNCTAD
26.
In the past few years, Hong Kong has kept its involvement in the work of the UNCTAD to a minimum, partly because there is enough happening in the GATT to keep its office in Geneva fully occupied, but mainly because UNCTAD negotiations seldom have any significant impact on real trade and Hong Kong lacks the means to participate in a way which can have some impact on the outcome of those negotiations.
27.
As the colony of a developed country, Hong Kong gets the worst of both worlds in the UNCTAD. As a colony, there is no question of its being accepted as a member of the Group of 77. At the same time its constitutional links with the UK do not qualify it for membership in Group B. In any case, Hong Kong has no interest in becoming a member of Group B since its trading interests in terms of trade in goods) are closer to those of the LDCs than to those of the developed countries.
28.
Therefore, Hong Kong can attend only plenary sessions of UNCTAD meetings and cannot directly take part in the real nego- tiations which take place in between the groups. Nevertheless, Hong Kong keeps itself informed on issues and developments in the UNCTAD and does so basically by seeking information through other delegations.
March 1982