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"We will actively and thoroughly consider the Board's views and proposals," he added.
Mr Tsang also pointed out that Hong Kong's special education had regularly developed over the past 25 years and government expenditure for this purpose had continuously increased with a total allocation of $960 million in the current financial
year.
End
Textiles consultations with US prove useful
The Trade Department today (Friday) completed a round of two-day consultations with a visiting US delegation on various issues relating to Hong Kong's textiles and clothing trade with the US.
"The two sides had very useful discussions on all the subjects on the agenda," said Mrs Rebecca Lai, Deputy Director-General of Trade, who led the Hong Kong negotiating team.
The US side was led by Ms Caroyl Miller, Deputy Chief Textile Negotiator, Office of the US Trade Representative.
The consultations covered three subjects: the new US origin rules for certain textiles and clothing products which are scheduled to take effect on July 1; the US unilateral move to use its import data for quota accounting purposes, as opposed to the established practice of export control; and the notification of administrative arrangements to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as required by the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC).
"The unilateral change in US origin rules has been a major concern for our trade, particularly in the categories of cut-and-sewn garments and various made-up articles such as bed-linens, scarves, baby diapers etc.," Mrs Lai said.
"For cut-and-sewn garments, the first problem for traders in Hong Kong and the US is that the US authority has not given all information necessary for them to know how exactly they will be affected by the new rules.'
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