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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1975
DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY WELCOMES HONG KONG'S INCLUSION
IN US-GSP
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VE
COMMENTING ON THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT'S DESIGNATION TODAY OF HONG KONG AS A BENEFICIARY OF THEIR GENERAL ISED SCHEME OF PREFERENCES (GSP), THE DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MR. DAVID JORDAN, SAID, THIS IS VERY GOOD NEWS FOR HONG KONG, HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PERSUADE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO INCLUDE US IN THEIR GSP FOR SUME TIME, IN DEED SINCE THE POSSIBILITY OF THE U.S. ESTABLISHING SUCH A SCHEME FIRST CAME INTO VIEW, AND AM GLAD THAT OUR EFFORTS HAVE PROVED FRUITFUL.
+1 HOPE OTHER COUNTRIES OPERATING GSPS FROM WHICH, AT THE MOMENT HONG KONG IS EXCLUDED, WILL, LIKEWISE, RECOGNISE OUR QUALIFICATION FOR INCLUSION IN THEIR SCHEMES, AND APPRECIATE OUR NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH THOSE OF OUR NEIGHBOURS IN THE REGION WHO MAY ALREADY BE PARTICIPATING IN THE IR SCHEMES. THIS IS ALL WE ASK.
THE U.S.-CSP'S STARTING DATE IS JANUARY 1, 1976. IT PROVIDES FOR DUTY-FREE ENTRY OF IMPORTS FROM BENEFICIARIES OF PRODUCTS DETERMINED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AS BEING ELIGIBLE FOR SUCH PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT.
THE LIST OF ELIGIBLE PRODUCTS HAS ALSO JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED AND THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT EXPECTS TO RECEIVE THE DETAILS SHORTLY. IT HAS ALREADY BEEN KNOWN FOR SOME TIME HOWEVER THAT TEXTILES, FOOTWEAR, WATCHES AND CERTAIN OTHER PRODUCTS REGARDED BY THE U.S. AS +IMPORT---SENSITIVE+ WILL DE EXCLUDED FROM THE GSP.
THE GSP ALSO CONTAINS A PROVISION WHEREBY A DENEFICIARY MAY BE DISQUALIFIED FROM RECEIVING DUTY-FREE TREATMENT IN THOSE ELIGIBLE PRODUCTS IN WHICH IT IS REGARDED AS PARTICULARLY COMPETITIVE ACCORDING TO A SET OF PRE-DETERMINED CRITERIA.
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IN RESPECT OF CERTAIN ELIGIBLE PRODUCTS, HONG KONG MAY BE SO DISQUALIFIED. BUT THIS CANNOT DE CONFINED UNTIL FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE GSP HAVE DSEN RECEIVED.
MR. JORDAN SAID THAT UNTIL THEN IT WILL NOT DE POSSIPLE TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT PROPORTION OF HONG KOLG'S EXPORTS TO THE U.S. VILL BE COVERED BY THE GSP.A PREVIOUS ROUGI LSTIMATE DOLE BY THE COMMERCE AND IDUSTRY DEPARTEENT WAS ALL A HAXIMUM OF ONLY ABOUT 25 PER CENT COULD QUALIFY FOR DUTY-+KEE TREATMENT.
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