13
FRIDAY, MAY 28, 1993
"DO NOT TOUCH THE DRAFT AGREEMENT IS OUR MESSAGE.
"A SUCCESSFUL URUGUAY ROUND WOULD BE A MAJOR VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE MULTILATERAL SYSTEM, MR JACKSON SAID.
"
HE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFUTE SUGGESTIONS MADE BY CRITICS IN THE TEXTILES INDUSTRIES OF AMERICA AND EUROPE THAT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES CONNIVED AT THE MISUSE OF QUOTA BY GOODS MADE IN CHINA.
"NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH, HE SAID.
"THE TRADE DEPARTMENT, THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE
DEPARTMENT AND
OUR ADVISERS FROM THE TEXTILES AND GARMENT BUSINESS IN HONG KONG ARE ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO DOING EVERYTHING REASONABLY POSSIBLE TO STOP MISUSE OF HONG KONG QUOTA," HE SAID.
THE ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM INCLUDES A SOPHISTICATED COMPUTERISED LICENSING SYSTEM, A REQUIREMENT TO TAKE OUT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN CERTIFICATES FOR TEXTILES AND GARMENTS BOUND FOR MARKETS UNDER QUOTA RESTRAINT, SPOT CHECKS OF FACTORIES AND OF CONSIGNMENTS ABOUT TO LEAVE HONG KONG, AND A SCHEME TO REWARD INFORMATION LEADING TO SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION OF QUOTA FRAUD.
THERE ARE ALSO PLANS TO INTRODUCE BY JULY 1 THIS YEAR A NEW TEXTILES TRADERS REGISTRATION SCHEME TO IMPROVE CONTROLS OVER TEXTILES- AND GARMENTS DESTINED FOR MARKETS NOT SUBJECT TO QUOTA.
"WE ARE ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO THE FIGHT AGAINST QUOTA FRAUD,
"
HE SAID.
PROVISIONAL FIGURES OF EXTERNAL TRADE FOR APRIL
* * *
RE-EXPORTS IN APRIL CONTINUED TO SURGE, WHILE DOMESTIC EXPORTS REGISTERED A SMALL INCREASE. AT THE SAME TIME, IMPORTS GREW MARKEDLY.
THESE ARE SHOWN IN THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES OF EXTERNAL TRADE RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS IN APRIL 1993 ROSE BY $14,285 MILLION OR 27% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $67,615 MILLION.
THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY $97 MILLION OR 0.5% TO $17,814 MILLION. TAKING RE-EXPORTS AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS IN APRIL 1993 GREW BY $14,382 MILLION OR 20% OVER A YEAR EARLIER TO $85,129 MILLION.
OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY $15, 103 MILLION OR 19% TO $93,654 MILLION.
AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS SMALLER THAN THAT OF TOTAL IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $8,224 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 8.8% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN APRIL 1993.
/THIS WAS