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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
of Hong Kong's external trade relations. The Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA), which aims at the orderly development and expansion of international trade in textiles, provides the framework within which Hong Kong negotiates bilateral restraint agreements with textiles importing countries. Under GATT rules, Hong Kong, being a separate customs territory (from the United Kingdom), is treated as if it were a separate contracting party to the GATT. Hong Kong, because of its status as a dependent territory of the United Kingdom, is represented in the GATT by the United Kingdom speaking on behalf of Hong Kong. When the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community (EEC), the GATT was informed by Her Majesty's Government that a member of the United Kingdom delegation would continue to speak for Hong Kong. In practice, the United Kingdom spokesman in GATT meetings is invariably a Hong Kong Government official. This arrangement means that Hong Kong is able to take positions that are different from those of the EEC, and by implication, the United Kingdom.
Hong Kong Government Offices Overseas
The Hong Kong Government maintains representative offices in London, Geneva, Wash- ington, Brussels and New York. The London Office is the largest and carries the widest range of functions among the overseas offices. Besides providing a point of direct contact in London between Hong Kong and departments of the British Government, Members of Parliament, the media and organisations with an interest in Hong Kong, it also performs a range of specialised functions. It is responsible for all recruitment in the United Kingdom to the Hong Kong Civil Service and the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, and supervises further training courses. It keeps under review British commercial, economic and industrial developments and official thinking on international trade policies, and advises the Hong Kong Government on the likely repercussions of these developments. It incorporates an industrial promotion office to advise United Kingdom firms about opportunities for investment in Hong Kong industries. Another division of the office liaises with Hong Kong people in Britain and helps with problems arising from their living in Britain or relating to their families and interests in Hong Kong. It also provides advice and assist- ance to visiting Hong Kong residents, regarding problems encountered. The News and Public Affairs Division operates well-developed publicity services aimed at projecting Hong Kong's image to the British public. The Students Division looks after the interests of Hong Kong students in the United Kingdom and runs the Hong Kong Students Centre in London.
Apart from playing a much wider representational role for Hong Kong, the main functions of the other overseas offices are to handle Hong Kong's commercial affairs in the countries they cover. The Geneva Office represents Hong Kong, through membership in the United Kingdom delegation, in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It keeps under review developments arising from the deliberations of the GATT, the UNCTAD and other international organisations in Geneva. The Brussels Office represents Hong Kong's economic and related interests concerning the European Community and the governments of the member states (other than the United Kingdom). The New York and Washington Offices keep under review economic or other developments, proposed legislation and regulations in the United States of America that might affect Hong Kong's economic interests in general and its trade with the USA in particular. The overseas offices are also developing a wider role in the public relations field. Details of representation overseas are at Appendix 2.