THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1976
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FRANCE LIFTS IMPORT RESTRICTIONS
ON FOUR HONG KONG PRODUCTS
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THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT HAS LIFTED IMPORT RESTRICTIONS ON FOUR HONG KONG PRODUCTS. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE IN PARIS RECENTLY AND CONVEYED OFFICIALLY TO THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT.
THE FREED ITEMS ARE BATTERIES, CAMERAS, PORTABLE ELECTRIC LAMPS AND BINOCULARS.
THEIR REMOVAL LEAVES EIGHT OTHER ITEMS STILL ON THE RESTRICTED LIST. THESE INCLUDE UMBRELLAS, MICROSCOPES, CHINESE-TYPE FOODSTUFFS, AND SOME TOYS.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT POINTED OUT THAT THE FOUR ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE LIST WOULD STILL REQUIRE IMPORT LICENCES ISSUED BY THE FRENCH AUTHORITIES. IT HAS, HOWEVER, BEEN OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED IN PARIS THAT THESE WILL BE GRANTED FREELY.
LAST YEAR'S EXPORTS TO FRANCE OF THE FOUR ITEMS AMOUNTED TO ROUGHLY $1,300,000.
NEW HONG KONG-SWEDEN TEXTILE RESTRAINT AGREEMENT
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HONG KONG AND SWEDEN HAVE CONCLUDED A NEW TEXTILE RESTRAINT AGREEMENT TO REPLACE THE EXISTING ONE WHICH EXPIRES AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.
THE NEW 18-MONTH AGREEMENT PLACES UNDER EXPORT CONTROL 16 GROUPS OF TEXTILE PRODUCTS, MAINLY GARMENTS, OF COTTON AND CERTAIN OTHER FIBRES.
IT WAS AGREED UPON AFTER FOUR DAYS OF NEGOTIATIONS IN STOCKHOLM BETWEEN A HONG KONG DELEGATION LED BY THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MR. PETER TSAO, AND A SWEDISH NEGOTIATING TEAM.
NINE OF THE 16 GROUPS ARE ALREADY UNDER RESTRAINT UNDER THE EXISTING AGREEMENT, AND FIVE ARE UNDER EXPORT AUTHORISATION, WHICH IS TO SAY, THEIR LEVEL OF EXPORTS HAD REACHED THE POINT AT WHICH BOTH SIDES AGREED TO START MONITORING IN CASE OF MARKET DISRUPTION.
THE NEWLY RESTRAINED PRODUCT INCLUDE CERTAIN NIGHT GARMENTS, SKIRTS, TOWELS, T-SHIRTS, SINGLETS, UNDERWEAR, COSTUMES, DRESSES AND BED LINEN.
THE OLD RESTRAINED ITEMS, TRANSFERRED TO THE NEW AGREEMENT INCLUDE CERTAIN SHIRTS, SWEATERS, PULLOVERS, JUMPERS, SLIPOVERS, CARDIGANS, UNDERWEAR, SLACKS, JEANS, TROUSERS, ANKLE-SOCKS, BATHING SUITS AND BLOUSES.
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