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one-third blocking minority needed to prevent Soviet
accession under Article XXXIII.
Implications of Chinese Accession
13. China is potentially a much more significant
participant in international trade than the East
European GATT contracting parties. Though her present
share of world trade is small, her potential is vast
(see Annex A) and will for the foreseeable future be
centred in areas of particular sensitivity in
international trade, particularly for the developed
countries (eg. textiles, light industrial goods).
14. The chief practical effect of Chinese accession
for Britain and other EC members would be on our
ability to protect our markets from imports of certain
categories of Chinese goods by means of quantitative
restrictions. China already receives most favoured
nation treatment in the 1978 EC/China Trade and
Economic Co-operation Agreement. Although this is
looser than either the full provisions of GATT or even
the restrictive Protocols of Accession to the GATT
signed by present State Trading members, existing EC
legislation for taking safeguard action against imports
from China (Regulation 1766/82) is tougher than the
corresponding Article XIX of GATT, in that it provides
for action to be taken more quickly and does not
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