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ZURSDAY, 1.1 2, 1985

MR BILLY LAM CHUNG-LUN,

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT SUPPLIES

MR DONALD TSANG YAM-KUEN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRADE

MR MICHAEL CARTLAND,

MR DOMINIC WONG SHING-

WAH.

MR TONY FROST,

MR JOSEPH YAM CHI-KWONG,

COUNSELLOR IN GENEVA

DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE

SECRETARY, UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE

DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR MONETARY AFFAIRS

1985 U.S. GSP MADE KNOWN

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DETAILS OF THE 1985 UNITED STATES GENERALISED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCE (GSP) ANNOUNCED BY THE U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE ON MAY 1, WERE MADE KNOWN TODAY BY THE TRADE DEPARTMENT.

IN THE 1985 U.S. GSP SCHEME, FOUR NEW ITEMS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE LIST OF OVER 3 000 PRODUCTS ELIGIBLE FOR GSP DUTY-FREE TREATMENT. THESE ARE PREPARED OR PRESERVED CABBAGE, CB RADIOS, CLOCK CASES AND PARTS, AND INFANT PANTS OF RUBBER AND PLASTIC. INCLUDING HONG KONG. THESE CHANGES APPLY TO ALL BENEFICIARIES, INCLUDING THE VALUE OF IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG IN THESE FOUR PRODUCTS IN 1984 WAS SLIGHTLY OVER US$3 MILLION.

ONE PREVIOUSLY ELIGIBLE ITEM - TRIFLURATION (A CHEMICAL) HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ELIGIBLE LIST. HOWEVER, HONG KONG HAS NO TRADE INTEREST IN RESPECT OF THIS PRODUCT, A TRADE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID.

ON THE OTHER HAND, HONG KONG HAS BEEN REDESIGNATED FOR THREE ITEMS EXCLUDED IN 1984 - STROBOSCOPES, GAMES MACHINES INCLUDING COIN AND DISC-OPERATED AND PARTS, AND TOY ANIMALS. THE VALUE OF U.S. IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG IN THESE THREE ITEMS WAS US$34 MILLION IN 1984.

THESE CHANGES IN PRODUCT ELIGIBILITY FOR 1985 U.S. GSP WILL TAKE EFFECT ON JULY 1, 1985.

THE VALUE OF U.S. IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG IN 1984 OF GSP ITEMS WAS US$4 002 MILLION, OF WHICH US$2 676 MILLION WAS EXCLUDED FROM GSP BENEFITS AND US$1 326 MILLION WAS GRANTED DUTY-FREE TREATMENT,

/THE SPOKESMAN