TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1987
2
PATIENT LOBBYING HK'S RESPONSE TO TEXTILES BILL
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ACTION HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN BY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN THE U.S. AND ELSEWHERE TO ALERT INTERESTED PARTIES TO THE FULL IMPLICATIONS OF THE U.S. TEXTILES BILL TO BUILD UP ORGANISED OPPOSITION TO IT, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR TONY MILLER, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
ADDRESSING A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES, MR MILLER SAID HONG KONG'S RESPONSE TO THE THREATS OF THE BILL WAS TO CONTINUE WITH THE PATIENT PERSISTENT LOBBYING EFFORTS AND THERE WERE SIGNS THAT HONG KONG'S MESSAGE ABOUT ITSELF HAD BEEN GETTING THROUGH.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE BILL. WHICH WAS INTRODUCED INTO BOTH HOUSES AND CONGRESS ON FEBRUARY 19 THIS YEAR, SOUGHT TO LIMIT GLOBAL IMPORTS OF TEXTILES AND APPAREL FROM ALL SOURCES TO 1986 IMPORT LEVELS WITH ANNUAL GROWTH AT ONE PER CENT AND WITH A REVIEW AFTER 10 YEARS.
+1T COULD NOT BE IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT RUNNING INTO CONFLICT WITH THE MFA-NEGOTIATED BILATERAL AGREEMENTS. INDEED, IT COULD PROBABLY ONLY BE IMPLEMENTED BY REPLACING THE EXISTING SYSTEM BY GLOBAL QUOTAS ADMINISTERED BY THE USA.
+CONTRARY TO ITS CLAIMS, IT WOULD NOT BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH GATT PROVISIONS.
+ IT IS CLEARLY PROTECTIONIST AND PUTS AT RISK NOT ONLY TEXTILES BUT URUGUAY ROUND OF MTN TALKS AND INDEED THE WHOLE INTERNATIONAL TRADING SYSTEM.+
HE ADDED THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPORT CONTROL REPLACING EXPORT CONTROL WOULD HAVE SERIOUS ADVERSE IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG' 3 TEXTILE AND GARMENT INDUSTRY AND WOULD LEAD TO CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY AND DISRUPTION.
MR MILLER ALSO SAID THERE WERE ALTOGETHER FOUR MAIN PIECES OF TRADE LEGISLATION CURRENTLY BEFORE CONGRESS WHICH WERE OF SIGNIFICANCE TO HONG KONG.
+APART FROM THE SECTOR-SPECIFIC TEXTILES BILL, THE OTHER THREE ARE +GENERIC+ TRADE BILLS, ONE INTRODUCED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ONE BY THE SENATE AND ONE, FOR GOOD MEASURE, BY THE ADMINISTRATION.
+THE HOUSE BILL, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE FULL HOUSE, IS MORE EXTREME AND SEEKS TO LIMIT THE PRESIDENT'S DISCRETION IN DEALING WITH TRADE PROBLEMS,
/+THE SENATE