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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1974
PRESSURE FOR EQUAL TREATMENT IN EEC TO CONTINUE
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THE DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, THE HON. DAVID JORDAN, TODAY DESCRIBED THE REMOVAL OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG'S FOOTWEAR AS A SMALL MEASURE OF SUCCESS FOR HONG KONG'S STRENUOUS EFFORTS AND HE PLEDGED THAT HIS DEPARTMENT WOULD CONTINUE ITS STRUGGLE FOR A BETTER DEAL FOR LOCAL TEXTILE EXPORTS.
+THE DOOR IS NOT YET OPEN BUT AT LEAST IT IS AJAR, WHEREAS BEFORE IT WAS FIRMLY SHUT,+ HE TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
MR. JORDAN WAS REFERRING TO THE NEWS THAT THE EEC'S COUNCIL OF MINISTERS HAD AGREED TO THE REMOVAL OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG'S FOOTWEAR, BUT COULD NOT REACH A SIMILAR DECISION ON HONG KONG'S TEXTILES.
MR. JORDAN, WHO WAS SPEAKING IN THE RESUMED DEBATE AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, POINTED OUT THAT THE EEC DID AGREE, HOWEVER, TO RECORD IN ITS MINUTES THAT +THE CASE OF HONG KONG WILL BE REVIEWED WHEN THE COMMUNITY'S GENERALISED PREFERENCES SCHEME FOR 1976 IS DRAWN UP,+
+THE VERY IMPORTANT COROLLARY OF THIS,+ MR. JORDAN EXPLAINED, + IS THAT THE ARGUMENT THAT THE HONG KONG CASE' WAS DEFINITIVELY SETTLED IN 1971, HAS BEEN ABANDONED.+
MR. JORDAN WENT ON TO SAY THAT DURING THE COMING YEAR, THEREFORE, THE STRUGGLE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF HONG KONG'S POSITION IN THE EEC'S GENERAL SED PREFERENCES SCHEME FROM WHICH HONG KONG'S TEXTILES ARE EXCLUDED, WOULD CONTINUE TO BE ONE OF HIS DEPARTMENT'S PRINCIPAL CONCERNS IN THE EXTERNAL FIELD.
HE SAID HE TOOK SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE FACT THAT THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS HAD ALSO AGREED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A THOROUGH-GOING REVIEW OF THE WHOLE SCHEME AND THAT THIS SHOULD START EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR.
OTHER EXTERNAL MATTERS THAT WILL BE ON HIS DEPARTMENT'S SCHEDULE FOR 1975 WILL BE THE NEGOTIATION OF A BILATERAL AGREEMENT ON HONG KONG'S TEXTILE EXPORTS TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE GATT MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS,+ MR. JORDAN DISCLOSED.
HE ADDED: +IF THE UNITED STATES TRADE BILL IS PASSED BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR, THIS NEGOTIATION WILL REALLY GET STARTED IN 1975.
+OUR PRINCIPAL INTEREST IN IT IS THE SUBJECT KNOWN AS +SAFEGUARDS+, THAT IS TO SAY, THE APPLICATION AND POSSIBLE MODIFICATION OF ARTICLE XIX OF THE GATT WHICH PERMITS MEMBER COUNTRIES TO TAKE ACTION TO LIMIT IMPORTS WHERE THESE IMPORTS ARE CAUSING OR THREATENING TO CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY TO DOMESTIC INDUSTRY.+
IN HIS WIDE-RANGING .............