WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1935
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DEVELOPING EXPORTERS FAVOUR LIBERALISATION+
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+THE DEVELOPING EXPORTERS' POSITION IS CLEAR - WE FAVOUR LIBERALISATION, THE DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR HAMISH MACLEOD, SAID BEFORE THE GATT TEXTILES COMMITTEE IN GENEVA.
HE TOLD THE COMMITTEE THAT IF OTHERS SAW THE NEED FOR ANY VARIATION OF THIS THEME, THEN IT WAS FOR THEM TO EXPLAIN IT AND JUSTIFY IT.
+AFTER ALL, THIS DIALOGUE COMMENCED AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE COMMITMENTS TO LIBERAL ISE TRADE IN TEXTILES AND CLOTHING MADE IN THE NOVEMBER 1982 MINISTERIAL DECLARATION. HOW AND WHEN CAN THESE COMMITMENTS BE HONOURED?+ HE QUERIED.
HE SAID IF IMPORTING COUNTRIES STILL REGARD ANY FORM OF PROTECTION AS NECESSARY, ALBEIT LIBERALISED, AND DESPITE THE LENGTHY PERIOD OF PROTECTION THEY HAD ALREADY +ENJOYED+ - AT THE COST OF THE IR CONSUMERS AND TAXPAYERS, AND THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR INDUSTRY THEN IT IS FOR THEM TO STATE A CASE WHICH
CAN THEN BE DISCUSSED RATIONALLY.
ON JENKINS BILL, MR MACLEOD SAID IT GAVE NO ENCOURAGEMENT TO THOSE WHO WERE INTERESTED IN RATIONAL ANALYSIS AND EXCHANGES.
+ IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HOW A PROTECTIONIST, UNILATERAL MEASURE LIKE THIS BILL CAN BE AS WELL RECEIVED IN THE U.S. CONGRESS AS IT REPORTEDLY HAS BEEN, WHEN THE U.S. STATISTICS SHOW THAT THINGS ARE NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS THE PROPONENTS OF THE BILL WOULD HAVE US BELIEVED.+
+FOR EXAMPLE, STATISTICS SHOW THAT EMPLOYMENT IN BOTH THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTIONS IN THE USA WENT UP IN 1984 OVER 1983 AND SO DID THE VALUE OF US TEXTILE AND APPAREL SHIPMENTS IN REAL TERMS, HE SAID.
THIS WAS THE FIRST FORMAL MEETING OF THE TEXTILE COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE EXISTING MFA WHICH EXPIRES IN JULY 1986 AND IT WAS ATTENDED BY MOST MAJOR TEXTILE TRADING NATIONS.
THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CAME OUT STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF AN EXTENSION OF THE MFA BUT THERE WAS GENERAL AGREEMENT ON THE NEED FOR LIBERALISATION.
AT THE MEETING MR MACLEOD SAID THAT HONG KONG SUPPORTED THE JOINT STATEMENT MADE BY THE KOREAN REPRESENTATIVE ON BEHALF OF THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHICH ASKED THE TEXTILE COMMITTEE TO FOCUS ON THREE QUESTIONS 1, WHETHER CONTINUED PROTECTION TO DEVELOPED COUNTRY TEXTILES AND CLOTHING INDUSTRIES IS JUSTIFIED: 2, WHETHER THESE INDUSTRIES CAN CONTINUE TO CLAIM SPECIAL TREATMENT IN THE FORM OF A DEROGATION FROM GATT RULES: 3, WHETHER A CONVINCING CASE CAN BE MADE TO JUSTIFY PERSISTENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
*THE ATMOSPHERE WAS PRAGMATIC AND RATIONAL, + SAID MR MACLEOD. IT WAS AGREED THAT THE NEXT FORMAL MEETING WOULD TAKE PLACE IN DECEMBER PROBABLY WITH INFORMAL MEETINGS BEFORE THEN.
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