XN000022-1993-11-17 — Page 24

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1993

ON

WEDNESDAY,

MRS

22

CHAN WILL HAVE

MEETINGS

WITH

THE

DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTER, PROFESSOR KOOIJMANS, AND THE TRADE MINISTER, MRS VAN ROOY.

AMSTERDAM ΤΟ WORKS SEMINAR CO- THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT

SHE WILL THEN GIVE A KEYNOTE LUNCHEON SPEECH IN ABOUT 300 BUSINESS PEOPLE ATTENDING A HONG KONG ORGANISED BY THE COUNCIL.

AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

CARTLAND HELPS CONCLUDE URUGUAY TALKS

THE SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES, MR MICHAEL CARTLAND, HAS LEFT FOR GENEVA TO ASSIST, UPON INVITATION, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GATT TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE IN HIS EFFORTS ΤΟ BRING THE URUGUAY ROUND TO A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION BY DECEMBER 15 THIS YEAR.

MR CARTLAND WILL BE ONE OF A SMALL NUMBER OF "FRIENDS OF THE CHAIR" APPOINTED IN THEIR PERSONAL CAPACITIES ON THE BASIS OF THEIR GATT EXPERIENCE.

THOSE CONTRACTING PARTIES CONTRIBUTING THE SERVICES OF THEIR OFFICIALS IN THIS WAY ARE AUSTRALIA, CANADA, HONG KONG AND URUGUAY.

MR CARTLAND WAS THE HEAD OF HONG KONG'S GENEVA OFFICE FROM 1984 TO 1987 AND WAS HONG KONG'S FIRST PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE GATT WHEN HONG KONG BECAME A SEPARATE CONTRACTING PARTY IN 1986.

HE SERVED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE NEGOTIATING GROUP OF SUBSIDIES IN THE URUGUAY ROUND AND HAS ALSO CHAIRED A NUMBER OF GATT DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PANELS.

0 ..

APEC TO BECOME A MODEL OF OPEN REGIONALISM

TRADING

HONG KONG IS AN ARDENT ADVOCATE OF THE MULTILATERAL SYSTEM AND DISINCLINED ΤΟ FOLLOW THE CURRENT FEEL OF BLOCISM, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF TRADE, MR TONY MILLER, TOLD DELEGATES ATTENDING THE ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION (APEC) CUSTOMS AND TRADE SYMPOSIUM IN SEATTLE YESTERDAY (TUESDAY).

MR MILLER, WHO IS LEADING THE HONG KONG DELEGATION IN THE APEC SENIOR OFFICIALS MEETING, FIRMLY OPINED THAT APEC SHOULD NOT BECOME A TRADE BLOC.

"IT

IS NEITHER DESIRABLE, NOR NECESSARY FOR APEC TO

BECOME A

TRADE BLOC.

"I SAY NOT DESIRABLE BECAUSE BLOCS DISTORT TRADE AND INVESTMENT FLOWS AND MAGNIFY RATHER THAN REDUCE FRICTIONS WITH THOSE OUTSIDE THE BLOC.

+

IT HAS PROVED

"I SAY NOT NECESSARY FOR APEC, ANY MORE THAN NECESSARY FOR THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) IN CONSULTING AMONG ITS MEMBERS ON TRADE AND ECONOMIC ISSUES," HE SAID.

/MR MILLER