XN000022-1975-03-20 — Page 16

45

THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1975

HOWEVER, HE URGED THAT THE MOMENTUM BUILT UP BY THIS ON-THE- SPOT VISIT AND THE EFFORTS OF THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG OFFICIALS AT THE EEC BE KEPT UP BY INVITING OFFICIALS FROM EEC MEMBER STATE CAPITALS TO VISIT HONG KONG.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE, HE SAID, WHO WOULD EVENTUALLY APPROVE ANY PROPOSALS MADE BY THE EEC DELEGATION.

ON THE FORTHCOMING NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE EEC FOR A NEW TEXTILE AGREEMENT, MR. TIEN THOUGHT LOCAL MANUFACTURERS WOULD NOT OBJECT TO TEMPORARY RESTRAINTS ON OUR EXPORTS AS LONG AS THE DEMANDS WERE REASONABLE -- →BY THAT I MEAN THAT THEY WILL ENABLE HONG KONG TO CONTINUE TO TRADE AND TO IMPROVE ON ITS POSITION, HE SAID.

HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT WOULD BE VIGOROUS AND PRAGMATIC IN THESE NEGOTIATIONS.

HE WAS EQUALLY CONFIDENT THAT THE DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY WOULD DO EVERYTHING HE COULD TO ENSURE A SATISFACTORY TREATMENT OF HONG KONG IN THE U.S. GENERALISED SCHEME OF PREFERENCES.

+GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE U.S. MARKET, THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT SINGLE SCHEME. EXCLUSION FROM IT, OR DISCRIMINATION UNDER IT, COULD HAVE VERY SERIOUS EFFECTS, PROBABLY WORSE THAN THOSE QUÉ HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE EUROPEAN MARKETS, HE WARNED.

1

1

16