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THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1981
LAST YEAR 100 000 JOBS WERE LOST IN THE UK'S TEXTILES INDUSTRY, BUT, AS MR DORWARD NOTED, THE MINISTER FOR TRADE, MR CECIL PARKINSON, RECENTLY TOLD THE BRITISH TEXTILE EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATION THAT THE PROBLEM OF CHEAP TEXTILE IMPORTS IS BEING OVERSTATED'. HE POINTED OUT, FURTHERMORE, THAT THREE QUARTERS OF BRITAIN'S TEXTILE IMPORTS CAME FROM THE DEVELOPED WORLD IN 1980, AND EXPORTS TO THE LOW COST COUNTRIES HAD ACTUALLY GROWN FASTER THAN IMPORTS.+
ALTHOUGH A TWENTY-YEAR SERIES OF MULTILATERAL TEXTILE ARRANGEMENTS WERE DESIGNED EXPLICITLY TO MODERATE TEMPORARILY THE GROWTH OF CERTAIN EXPORTS LIKELY TO CAUSE MARKET DISRUPTION' THE IR EXISTENCE WAS NOW SO MUCH TAKEN FOR GRANTED BY THE INDUSTRIES WHICH HAD ENJOYED THE IR PROTECTION THAT THEY NO LONGER ATTEMPTED TO JUSTIFY THEM, BUT MERELY CALLED FOR THEIR INTENSIFICATION, MR DORWARD SAID.
THE DISCREDITED POLICY ADOPTED BY THE EEC IN 1977 IMPOSED A FINITE LIMIT ON IMPORTS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, BUT NO LIMIT ON OTHERS. ESTABLISHED TRADE OPPORTUNITIES WERE THEN ARBITRARILY TAKEN FROM SOME RESTRAINED SUPPLIERS AND IN THEORY GIVEN TO OTHERS CONSIDERED MORE NEEDY. BUT THE ACTUAL CONSEQUENCE WAS THAT TRADE POTENTIAL TAKEN AWAY FROM HONG KONG AND OTHER MAJOR SUPPLIERS WENT TO THE RICH NOTABLY THE UNITED STATES AND NOT TO THE POOR.
+ IT WILL BE NOT ONLY DEPRESSING BUT DESTRUCTIVE IF THAT EXPERIENCE IS IGNORED, HE SAID. THE DEVELOPING COUNTRY EXPORTERS HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN IT, AND ARE FACING THE COMING NEGOTIATIONS WITH A COHESIVENESS THEY HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY SHOWN. AS I SPEAK, A WOR SHOP SEMINAR IS IN PROGRESS IN DJAKARTA, FOLLOWING UP THE FIRST CO-ORDINATION MEETING OF MFA DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHICH I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTENDING IN BOGOTA, COLOMBIA LAST NOVEMBER.
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+HONG KONG WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY AN ACTIVE PART IN THIS SERIES OF MEETINGS AND WE EXPECT THERE TO BE MORE AS THE YEAR GOES ON - AS WELL AS IN THE LESS OBVIOUS BUT VERY SUBSTANTIVE INFORMAL CONTACTS WHICH TAKE PLACE FROM DAY TO DAY, MAINLY IN GENEVA,+ HE SAID.
+OUR AIM IN THIS EFFORT WILL BE TO DEVISE IN CONCERT WITH THE OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES A COHESIVE STRATEGY. WE RECOGNISE THE FUTILITY OF INVITING CONFRONTATION BY CHALLENGING THE JUSTIFICATION FOR HAVING AN MFA AT ALL, ALTHOUGH A LOGICAL CASE COULD BE MADE. INSTEAD WE SHALL SEEK TO ENCOURAGE A RESPONSIBLE AND REALISTIC APPROACH TO THE MFA NEGOTIATIONS WHICH WE WOULD EXPECT TO BE RECIPROCATED BY THE DEVELOPED IMPORTING COUNTRIES,+ STRESSED MR DORWARD.
COMMENTING ON SUGGESTIONS THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD REVIEW ITS EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE IN HIGH POSITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, MR DORWARD ACCEPTED THE NEED TO DO SO.
+ THE TROUBLE WITH THE U.S., HOWEVER, IS THAT THE TARGETS ARE NUMEROUS, SCATTERED AND IN THE SIGHTS OF MANY OTHERS AT ANY GIVEN TIME. AND THE DIFFERENT CENTRES OF GOVERNMENT, COMMERCE, FINANCE AND INDUSTRY ARE SPREAD OVER THAT VAST CONTINENT.+
HE ADDED THAT A GOOD DEAL OF ACTIVITY WAS ALREADY TAKING PLACE AT OFFICIAL LEVEL. THE HONG KONG OFFICE IN WASHINGTON NOW HAD THREE DIPLOMATIC LEVEL STAFF AND OPPORTUNITIES WERE ALWAYS TAKEN TO PAY CALLS AT APPROPRIATELY HIGH LEVELS WHEN THE GOVERNOR AND OTHER SENIOR GOVERNMENT MEMBERS VISITED THE U.S. HOWEVER HE UNDERTOOK TO RE-EXAMINE THE NATURE AND LEVEL OF THE GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS.
/+I HOPE