XN000022-1982-07-29 — Page 9

THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1982

SWISS MOVE TO REDUCE GSP

DISCRIMINATIONS AGAINST HONG KONG

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SWITZERLAND HAS DECIDED TO PHASE OUT ITS DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT AGAINST TWO PRODUCTS FROM HONG KONG UNDER ITS GENERALISED SCHEME OF PREFERENCES, THE PRODUCTS ARE UMBRELLAS AND SUNSHADES, AND ELECTRICAL BATTERIES. HONG KONG'S EXPORTS OF THE TWO PRODUCTS

SWITZERLAND IN 1981 WERE VALUED AT HK$3 MILLION.

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ANNOUNCING THIS TODAY, THE ACTING COMMISSIONER OF TRADE, JUSTIN YUE SAID: +WE WELCOME THIS SMALL BUT POSITIVE MOVE. HOPE THIS AUGURS WELL FOR THE FUTURE BECAUSE WE REMAIN - EXCLUDED FROM PREFERENCE IN RESPECT OF ALL TEXTILES, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR ITEMS. IN ADDITION, THE PREFERENCE ACCORDED HONG KONG ON WATCHES AND CLOCKS IS NOT OF THE SAME MAGNITUDE AS THAT ACCORDED OTHER BENEFICIARIES. THE DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO SEEK COMPLETE REMOVAL OF THE RESIDUAL DISCRIMINATIONS AGAINST HONG KONG.+

THE PHASING OUT OF THE TEN-YEAR-OLD DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT OF UMBRELLAS AND SUNSHADES, AND ELECTRICAL BATTERIES IS IN TWO EQUAL STAGES. UNTIL NOW, THE PREFERENTIAL RATES FOR HONG KONG FOR BOTH PRODUCTS WERE 70 PER CENT OF THE FULL TARIFF RATES, WHEREAS THE PREFERENTIAL RATES FOR ALL OTHER BENEFICIARIES WERE 50 PER CENT.

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AS FROM JULY 1 THIS YEAR, THE PREFERENTIAL RATES FOR THESE ITEMS ILL BE 60 PER CENT OF THE FULL TARIFF. WITH EFFECT FROM JULY 1,

1983, THE PREFERENTIAL RATES WILL BE 50 PER CENT OF THE FULL TAR IFF AND HONG KONG WILL ENJOY THE SAME PREFERENTIAL RATES AS OTHER BENEFICIARIES.

SHANGHAI STREET BUS ONLY LANE A GREAT SUCCESS

*****

THE BUS ONLY LANE IN SHANGHAI STREET HAS PROVED SO SUCCESSFUL THAT IT WILL BE CONTINUED INDEFINITELY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY.

THE ADVANTAGE OF MAINTAINING THIS PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEME CAN BE GAUGED BY THE FACT THAT PRESENT FIGURES SHOW THAT MORE THAN 200 BUSES USE THE LANE EACH HOUR AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 15 KILOMETRES PER HOUR.

-THIS MEANS A SUBSTANTIAL SAVING OF JOURNEY TIME FOR

PASSENGERS+, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

THE SCHEME WAS IMPLEMENTED SIX YEARS AGO WHEN SPECIAL TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS HAD TO BE INTRODUCED ALONG SHANGHAI STREET TO ALLOW FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY.

WITH THE CONTINUATION OF THE BUS ONLY LANE, THE ORIGINAL TRAFFIC MEASURES WILL BE RETAINED.

THIS MEANS THAT 11 SIDE STREETS - ARRAN STREET, BUTE STREET, FIFE STREET, NELSON STREET, SOY STREET, HAMILTON STREET, PITT STREET, SHEK LUNG STREET, MAN MING LANE. HI LUNG LANE AND WING SING LANE WILL REMAIN CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC AT THE IR JUNCTIONS WITH THE WEST SIDE OF SHANGHAI STREET.

ACCESS TO THESE STREETS WILL STILL BE VIA RECLAMATION

STREET.