XN000022-1980-12-20 — Page 6

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1980

+THE HONG KONG TRADE STATISTICS

SUMMARY+ -- A SUMMARY REPORT ON HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL TRADE IN OCTOBER 1980. WILL SOON BE ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AT $3 A COPY. A MORE COMPREHENSIVE REPORT, HONG KONG EXTERNAL TRADE+, WITH DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE MONTH'S IMPORTS, EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS, WILL BE PUBLISHED IN EARLY JANUARY AND WILL BE PRICED AT $10 A COPY. ENQUIRIES ABOUT SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THESE REPORTS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT AT BASKERVILLE HOUSE, ICE HOUSE STREET, (TEL: 5-214375).

TEXTILE TALKS WITH EEC SUSPENDED

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TALKS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE EEC ON THE INCLUSION OF GREECE IN THE HK/EEC TEXTILE AGREEMENT HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED, MR PETER TSAO, COMMISSIONER OF TRADE SAID TODAY.

MR TSAO EXPLAINED THAT GREECE WILL BECOME A MEMBER OF THE EEC ON JANUARY 1, 1981, AND IT IS THE POLICY OF THE EEC THAT THE TEXTILE AGREEMENTS IT HAS CONCLUDED UNDER THE MULTI-FIBRE TEXTILE ARRANGEMENT (MFA) SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO THE NEW MEMBER STATE. THE MAIN REASON WHY THE TALKS WITH HONG KONG COULD NOT BE BROUGHT TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION WAS BECAUSE THE TWO SIDES COULD NOT AGREE ON THE RESTRAINT LIMITS FOR PRODUCTS THAT WOULD BE SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC QUOTAS.

MR TSAO ADDED THAT HONG KONG HAS BEEN INFORMED THAT THE EEC WILL INTRODUCE UNILATERAL IMPORT RESTRICTIONS FOR IMPORTS OF CERTAIN TEXTILE PRODUCTS INTO GREECE FROM JANUARY 1, 1981, AND THE REGULATIONS WILL BE PROMULGATED BY THE EEC BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR.

MR TSAO WARNED THAT WHILE THE DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO ISSUE EXPORT LICENCES ON APPLICATION FOR SHIPMENTS TO GREECE, IN VIEW OF THE INSTITUTION OF IMPORT MEASURES BY THE EEC, THE DEPARTMENT WILL NOT BE IN A POSITION TO GUARANTEE ENTRY INTO GREECE OF GOODS COVERED BY SUCH LICENCES. DETAILS OF PRODUCTS THAT WILL BE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS WILL BE SET OUT IN A NOTICE TO EXPORTERS TO BE ISSUED EARLY NEXT WEEK.

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