XN000022-1976-04-24 — Page 2

SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1976

SPECIFIC RESTRAINTS ON EXPORTS OF

T-SHIRTS, KNITTED VESTS AND TOPS TO THE U.S.

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HONG KONG HAS AGREED TO PLACE UNDER SPECIFIC RESTRAINT TWO CATEGORIES OF TEXTILES EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES.

THESE ARE T-SHIRTS (CATEGORY 218) AND KNITTED VESTS AND TOPS (CATEGORY 224(5)), WHICH WERE PREVIOUSLY SUBJECT TO AN OVERALL LIMIT FOR A MAN-MADE FIBRE GARMENTS GROUP.

THE AGREEMENT WAS REACHED TODAY (SATURDAY), AD REFERENDUM, AFTER THREE DAYS OF TALKS IN HONG KONG BETWEEN A TEAM OF HONG KONG NEGOTIATORS LED BY MR. PETER TSAO, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AND A FOUR-MAN DELEGATION FROM THE UNITED STATES LED BY MR. CHARLES ANGEVINE OF THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT.

THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FOR THE TRANSFER OF THESE TWO

CATEGORIES FROM THE GROUP, OR +BASKET+, TO BE MERGED WITH AN EXISTING SPECIFIC CATEGORY (CATEGORY 219), NAMELY KNITTED SHIRTS, TO FORM A NEW CATEGORY UNDER A COMBINED LIMIT.

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT REQUESTED THESE CONSULTATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THEIR BILATERAL AGREEMENT WITH HONG KONG.

IT WAS ALSO AGREED DURING THE THREE DAYS OF CONSULTATIONS THAT COTTON T-SHIRT (CAT 41/42) AND OTHER KNIT-SHIRTS (CAT 43/62(2)) WOULD BE COMBINED UNDER A SINGLE SPECIFIC LIMIT WITH A SUB-LIMIT ON EACH OF THE ORGINAL CATEGORIES.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT ALSO STATED THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS SUSPENDED THE ISSUE OF EXPORT AUTHOR ISATIONS FOR MAN-MADE FIBRE KNIT TOPS AND VESTS. A NOTICE TO EXPORTERS WILL BE ISSUED SHORTLY TO INFORM THE TRADE OF DETAILS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS.

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