XN000022-1973-05-09 — Page 12

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Wednesday, May 9, 1973

LITTLE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT GIVEN HONG KONG EXPORTS

About three per cent of Hong Kong's total domestic exports last

year were given preferential treatment, the Director of Commerce and

Industry, the Hon. E.P. Ho, told the Legislative Council today.

The value of these goods amounted to about $400 million

while that of the total domestic exports for the year was $15,245 million.

Certificates issued by the Commerce and Industry Department under

the various Generalised System of Preference schemes in operation during

the year totalled 83,881, and the value of goods thus certified ancunted

to about $658 million,

The first five major export items, said Mr. Ho, were toys

(valued at $91 million), leather work gloves (863 million), dolls

($48 million), travel goods ($46 million), and plastic products ($32 million).

The top five importing markets and the values of goods exported to

them under claims to GSP in 1972 were the European Economic Community

(1451 million), the United Kingdom ($104 million), Sweden (#43 million),

Switzerland ($40 million), and Japan ($12 million).

Mr. Ho explained that the figures given for the E.E.C. were for

the original six member states of the community.

As the tariff quotas had been exhausted, he said, goods worth some

$250 million did not receive preferential treatment, representing 55 per

cant of the value of items exported under cover of GSP certificates to

the community.

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