MONDAY, JUNE 6, 1983
PUTTING HONG KONG'S EXPORTS IN PERSPECTIVE
****
THE DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR HAMISH MACLEOD SAID TODAY (MONDAY) THAT HONG KONG'S EXPORTS WERE NOT THE THREAT TO OTHER COUNTRIES' DOMESTIC INDUSTRIES THAT THEY WERE SOMETIMES MADE OUT TO BE.
HE MADE THE COMMENT +WHILE PUTTING HONG KONG'S EXPORTS IN PERSPECTIVE+, TO COMBAT +THE INACCURATE PROPAGANDA+ FROM THOSE COUNTRIES.
+WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT IN THEIR WISH TO PUT OVER THE PROTECTIONIST MESSAGE, THE FACTS ARE OFTEN TWISTED. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE DELIBERATE, BUT IT MEANS THAT THE DOMESTIC DEBATE ON SUCH ISSUES IS OFTEN SADLY UN INFORMED, SAID MR MACLEOD, ADDRESSING THE DINNER MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.
REFERRING TO A RECENT PRESS STATEMENT BY A UNITED STATES GARMENT INDUSTRY SPOKESMAN THAT OVERALL IMPORTS OF GARMENTS HAD REACHED 40 PER CENT OF TOTAL CONSUMPTION, MR MACLEOD SAID: +I THINK WE ARE ALL PAINFULLY AWARE THAT STATISTICS CAN BE JUGGLED TO SAY ALMOST ANYTHING ONE WANTS THEM TO SAY.
+ONE CAN USE VALUE FIGURES OR QUANTITY FIGURES. ONE CAN TALK ABOUT PROPORTION OF IMPORTS RATHER THAN PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL CONSUMPTION. AND SO ON.
IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE WE CANNOT WORK OUT HOW A FIGURE OF 40 PER CENT CAN BE ARRIVED AT, HOWEVER ONE PLAYS WITH THE STATISTICS.
+BUT THE FACT IS THAT 87 PER CENT OF THE U.S. TEXTILE AND GARMENT MARKET IS SUPPLIED BY THEIR OWN DOMESTIC INDUSTRY. IT IS TRUE THAT HONG KONG'S SHARE OF THEIR IMPORTS OF THESE PRODUCTS IS QUITE HIGH, AT 15 PER CENT. WE ARE HAPPY THAT THIS IS SO. BUT THE POINT TO BE BORNE IN MIND IS THAT OUR SHARE OF THE TOTAL MARKET IS ONLY TWO PER CENT, WHICH I THINK PUTS THE EFFECT OF HONG KONG IMPORTS INTO PROPER PERSPECTIVE.
+TWO PER CENT REALLY CANNOT BE A THREAT TO DOMESTIC INDUSTRY, THOUGH I ACCEPT THAT IF ONE TOOK JUST GARMENTS, AND PARTICULARLY WHAT THEY WOULD CALL SENSITIVE CATEGORIES OF GARMENTS, THEN THE PERCENTAGE WOULD OF COURSE DE HIGHER, THOUGH EVEN IN SUCH CASES I CANNOT BELIEVE IT WOULD BE AS HIGH AS 40 PER CENT.+
MR MACLEOD POINTED OUT THAT A FURTHER FACT USED TO CRITICISE HONG KONG WAS THAT IN SOME COUNTRIES THE IMPORTS OF GARMENTS FROM HONG KONG HAD INCREASED BY 15 PER CENT OR 20 PER CENT IN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF THIS YEAR COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTHS IN 1982. +THEREFORE, THE PRESSURE GROUPS ARGUED SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO STOP THIS. WHAT THESE GROUPS USUALLY FORGET TO MENTION IS THAT OUR MAIN CATEGORIES OF GARMENT EXPORTS ARE ALREADY RESTRAINED BY AGREEMENTS UNDER THE MULTI-FIBRE ARRANGEMENT (MFA).
/+OVERALL ABOUT