WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1993
"HONG KONG TRADERS' SMALLER MEMBER STATES OF THE
ABILITY TO DEVELOP NEW MARKETS AMONG COMMUNITY IS ENHANCED,
++ MR CHAU SAID.
OTHER TRADE-FACILITATING MEASURES ADOPTED INCLUDED BINDING TARIFF RULINGS FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, AND INCREASED FLEXIBILITY IN PREFERENTIAL ACCESS UNDER THE COMMUNITY'S GENERALISED SCHEME OF PREFERENCES.
MR CHAU BELIEVED THAT THE RETENTION BY THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY OF THE CAPACITY TO INTRODUCE REGIONAL MEASURES AND THE PROPOSALS TO COMMUNITARISE CERTAIN NATIONAL QUOTAS FOR CHINA AND OTHER STATE- TRADING COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT PREVENT TRADERS FROM FINDING NICHES OF OPPORTUNITIES TO THEIR BENEFIT.
HE FURTHER NOTED THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA COULD FURTHER INCREASE THE SCOPE OF ECONOMIES OF IN PRODUCTION.
WERE WITH
THE EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION (EFTA) COUNTRIES CONCERNED COMMITTED TO APPLYING ALMOST ALL EUROPEAN COMMUNITY LEGISLATION REGARD TO TECHNICAL REGULATION, PRODUCT STANDARDS, TESTING AND CERTIFICATION.
OF AUSTRIA,
CURRENTLY
IN THE MEDIUM TERM, MR CHAU SAID, THE ACCESSION SWEDEN, FINLAND AND NORWAY TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY WAS BEING NEGOTIATED.
"WITH THE ACCESSION OF THESE COUNTRIES, A SINGLE MARKET OF OVER 370 MILLION PEOPLE WILL BE CREATED," HE SAID.
THE REALIGNMENT OF THE DIFFERENT TRADE REGIMES MIGHT HOWEVER BRING ABOUT PLUSES AND MINUSES IN DIFFERENT AREAS AS THE EFTA COUNTRIES CONCERNED GENERALLY HAD HIGHER IMPORT TARIFFS BUT THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY HAD A MUCH MORE RESTRICTIVE TEXTILES REGIME, HE ADDED.
"IN THE LONGER TERM, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES EAGERLY WAITING TO JOIN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY.
"ALTHOUGH THEIR ACCESSION IS AS YET UNCERTAIN AND LIKELY TO BE SOME WAY OFF, THE CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL FOR EVEN FURTHER ENLARGEMENT OF THE SINGLE EUROPEAN MARKET SHOULD BE BORNE IN MIND, HE SAID.
[
/8
1 1 1 1