XN000022-1987-03-02 — Page 6

MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1987

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SHIPPING REGISTER STEERING GROUP ANNOUNCED

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MEMBERSHIP OF THE STEERING GROUP ESTABLISHED TO DEVELOP DETAILED PROPOSALS FOR HONG KONG'S MODIFIED SHIPPING REGISTER WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY (MONDAY).

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE PLAN TO SET UP THE STEERING GROUP WAS ANNOUNCED IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR WHEN THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES UNDER WHICH THE REGISTER WOULD OPERATE WERE PUBLISHED.

+THE STEERING GROUP WILL BE CHAIRED BY DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR RAFAEL HUT, AND COMPRISES PERSONS DRAWN FROM VARIOUS SECTORS OF HONG KONG'S SHIPPING INDUSTRY+, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE STEERING GROUP IS MR KENNETH LO, MR PETER THOMPSON, MR TING KAM-YUEN, CAPT E.H. FARROW, MR J.P. LEE, MR K.M. WALLACE, MR J. MATHEWS, MR G.A. HIGGINSON AND MR D.A. HALL. THEY HAVE, BETWEEN THEM, AN EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF HONG KONG AND ITS SHIPPING INDUSTRY.

THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT HONG KONG IS AT PRESENT A PORT OF BRITISH REGISTRY. THIS STATUS CANNOT CONTINUE AFTER 1997 AND IT IS NECESSARY TO PUT ITS SHIPPING REGISTER ON A FOOTING WHICH CAN MAKE THE TRANSITION IN 1997 WITH A MINIMUM OF CHANGE.

THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES AGREED BY THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP LAST YEAR WILL ENSURE THAT EXISTING HIGH STANDARDS ARE MAINTAINED AND DRAW NEW AND CLOSE LINKS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND ITS SHIPS. THE STEERING GROUP'S ROLE IS TO RECOMMEND PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS WHEREBY THIS CAN BEST BE ACHIEVED.

ITS FIRST MEETING WILL BE HELD TOWARDS THE END OF THIS MONTH.

INTERNATIONAL BODY CONDEMNS TEXTILE BILL

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A CLAIM OF SERIOUS INJURY TO THE AMERCIAN TEXTILE AND GARMENT INDUSTRY IN THE NEWLY-INTRODUCED TEXTILES BILL IS MERELY AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID USING THE NATION'S PROPER PROCEDURES TO ESTABLISH WHETHER SUCH INJURY REALLY EXISTS.

THIS IS THE VIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL TEXTILES AND CLOTHING BUREAU TO WHICH HONG KONG, AND 14 NATIONS, BELONGS. THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR TONY MILLER, SAID TODAY (MONDAY) THAT FOLLOWING A MEETING IN GENEVA LAST WEEK THE BODY HAD ISSUED A CONDEMNATION OF THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL ACT OF 1987 RECENTLY INTRODUCED INTO THE AMERICAN CONGRESS.

/THE STATEMENT