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INDUSTRY AND TRADE
the Rt Hon Geoffrey Rippon, QC, MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the British Minister charged with responsibility for the negotiations. A Hong Kong team led by His Excellency the Governor subsequently visited London in November for further discussions with British officials, including Mr Rippon.
The GATT Cotton Textiles Committee met on May 25 and 27 in Geneva to decide on the future of the Cotton Textiles Arrange- ment (CTA) due to expire on September 30, 1970. Hong Kong was represented throughout the meeting. A Protocol extending the Arrangement for three years was subsequently opened for signature on June 15, 1970.
The GATT Committee on Trade in Industrial Products established five working groups earlier in the year to study a consolidated inventory of non-tariff barriers affecting trade in industrial products. The Commerce and Industry Department contributed to the compila- tion of the inventory and was kept fully informed of developments by its Assistant Director in Geneva who attended meetings of the Committee.
A generalised preference scheme for developing countries as envisaged by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Develop- ment (UNCTAD) moved nearer realisation when the prospective 'donor' countries presented their revised schedule of offers to the UNCTAD Special Committee on Preferences in September. The Committee produced a report with a set of mutually acceptable conclusions for transmission to the UN General Assembly. Final decisions on beneficiary countries, product coverage, rates of preferential tariff etc are left to the individual donors. Hong Kong's claim to be considered a beneficiary under the various schemes has been formally stated by HMG and every effort continues to be made to ensure that the Colony's interests are safeguarded.
Canada: Both the Hong Kong/Canada agreement regarding trade in certain cotton textiles and Hong Kong's unilateral under- taking to restrain the export of certain man-made-fibre garments expired on September 30, 1970. Following consultations in Ottawa with Canadian officials in July, 1970, it was agreed that restraints should continue for a further year. The most significant feature of the new arrangement was that, where appropriate, quota limits for similar cotton and non-cotton apparel items were combined.