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MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1974,
STATEMENT ON TRADE TALKS IN LONDON.
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THE DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MR. DAVID JORDAN, ISSUED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT ON HIS RETURN TO HONG KONG THIS (MONDAY) EVENING AFTER HOLDING TRADE TALKS IN LONDON WITH BRITISH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:
+1 WENT TO LONDON FOR THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF MEETINGS WE HOLD WITH BRITISH OFFICIALS, CONCERNED WITH HATTERS AFFECTING HONG KONG'S TRADE.
+ON THESE OCCASIONS WE GATHER TOGETHER ALL HONG KONG'S OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES IN EUROPE AND HAVE A JOINT MEETING WITH OFFICIALS OF THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AND THE DEPARTMENTS OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY,
*THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECTS WE HAD TO DISCUSS ON THIS OCCASION WERE AGAIN HONG KONG'S TREATMENT UNDER THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY'S GENERALISED SCHEME OF PREFERENCES AND FUTURE ARRANGE- MENTS FOR HONG KONG'S TEXTILE EXPORTS TO THE COMMUNITY,
+ IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR MR. JOHN DAVIES TOLD THE COMMUNITY' S COUNCIL OF MINISTERS THAT BRITAIN WOULD PRESS STRONGLY FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE PRESENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG'S TEXTILE AND FOOTWEAR EXPORTS IN THE E.E.C.'S G.S.P.
♦THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION SUBSEQUENTLY RECOMMENDED THAT HONG KONG'S FOOTWEAR SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE SCHEME FOR 1975.
+IN JUNE THIS YEAR THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, MR. CALLAGHAN, SAID IN THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM WAS SEEKING SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE POSITION OF HONG KONG UNDER THE SCHEME.
*SINCE THEN OFFICIALS OF THE COMMISSION AND THE MEMBER STATES HAVE BEEN HAVING REGULAR DISCUSSIONS ON THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS FOR 1975. IN THESE DISCUSSIONS THE "BRITISH OFFICIALS INVOLVED HAVE BEEN PRESSING HARD FOR CHANGES IN THE SCHEME THAT WOULD IMPROVE THE PROSPECTS FOR HONG KONG.
+THIS SEEMED A GOOD TIME TO GO TO LONDON BECAUSE THESE DISCUSSIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY HAVE NOW CRYSTALLISED SUFFICIENTLY FOR BRITISH MINISTERS TO BE READY TO TAKE DECISIONS ON THE LINE THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN ON THE 1975 SCHEME WHEN IT COMES ON THE AGENDA OF THE COMMITTEE OF PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES AND SUBSEQUENTLY OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS ITSELF.
THE BRITISH OFFICIALS CONCERNED WISHED TO BE SURE THAT BEFORE THESE DECISIONS WERE TAKEN, WE IN HONG KONG SHOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT AGAIN, IN THE LIGHT OF THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS.
/WE MADE