SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1985
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'REX' REPORT ADOPTED BY EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
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A REPORT ON THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC AND TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND HONG KONG, PREPARED BY THE EXTERNAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE (REX) OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, WAS ADOPTED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT YESTERDAY (FRIDAY).
THE REPORT WAS PREPARED AFTER THE RAPPORTEUR, MR HANS-JOACHIM SEELER, AND THE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, DAME SHELAGH ROBERTS, VISİTED · HONG KONG EARLIER THIS YEAR.
IN ADOPTING THE REPORT. THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PASSED A RESOLUTION (160 VOTES IN FAVOUR, THREE AGAINST AND TWO ABSENTIONS), WHICH:
* WELCOMES THE SOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE PARTIES TO THE JOINT DECLARATION TO THE FUTURE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL POSITION OF HONG KONG:
* NOTES THAT THIS AGREEMENT ENABLES ECONOMIC RELATIONS
BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE AND BE FURTHER DEVELOPED AND MOREOVER MAY BE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINAI
* NOTES IN THIS CONNECTION THE IMPORTANCE FOR THE FOREIGN TRADE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA OF HONG KONG AS THE LARGEST PORT ON THE CHINA COAST AND THE THIRD LARGEST FINANCIAL CENTRE IN THE WORLD ;
* NOTES THAT BECAUSE OF THE DE FACTO RETENTION OF ITS EARLIE
STATUS COMBINED WITH A CERTAIN DEGREE OF INTEGRATION WITH THE NATIONAL ECONOMY OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AS A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, HONG KONG CAN DEVELOP CONSIDERABLY ITS PRESENT INTERMEDIARY ROLE IN ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC AND THE WESTERN INDUSTRIALISED NATIONS AND THAT SUCH A DEVELOPMENT COULD HAVE VERY POSITIVE EFFECTS ON FUTURE ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA;
* CALLS ON THE COMMISSION TO FOLLOW CLOSELY THE SITUATION IN HONG KONG OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, AND IN PARTICULAR TO CONSIDER CAREFULLY THE PRACTICAL WAYS IN WHICH HONG KONG'S FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE BENEFITS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRADING SYSTEM CAN BE MAINTAINED AFTER 1997, AND ESPECIALLY THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG CONTINUING TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GENERALISED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES:
* EXPECTS, HOWEVER, THE COMMISSION AND THE COUNCIL TO DO
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE ON BEHALF OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT FIRSTLY HONG KONG AND SECONDLY THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN THEIR ENDEAVOURS TO ATTAIN THE OBJECTIVES SET OUT IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND ITS ANNEXES;
/* EXPECTS IN