CONFIDENTIAL
Generalised Preferences
8.
Mr. Haddon-Cave considered that the adoption of a scheme
of generalised tariff preferences for less developed countries
by the developed countries might help mitigate the loss of
any tariff preferences in Britain brought about by Britain
joining the E.E.C. But they were concerned lost the E.E.C.
should refuse to accept Hong Kong as entitled to 1.d.c. status
in any such scheme; there was evidence in other contexts that
they were not prepared to accept Hong Kong as less developed.
9. Mr. Bentliff said that in the Special 0.E.C.D. Group,
composed of senior officials from Britain, France, the Federal
Republic of Germany and the United States, a consensus of opinion (which did not however commit governments) appeared to
be emerging that, as no formula for differentiating developing
from developed countries sconed practicable, any special
tariff treatment would probably have to be made available
in principle to any country claiming to be a developed
country. In order that the "burden" of giving freer access
to the manufactures of developing countries should be equitably
shared, the implication was that countries would not be
excluded on economic grounds from qualifying for coverage by any scheme. It seemed possible that individual countries
might be disqualified from a special tariff treatment on
individual products in accordance with some pro-established
export performance criteria. The Special Group had not
finished their work, so the foregoing information was
provisional and confidential. But, if their finished report
was on these lines, it ought to provide some assurance that
Hong Kong would not be disqualified from the advantages of a
new scheme of special tariff treatment of manufacturers.
Mr. Haddon-Cave expressed the hope that the British Government would continue to resist any attempts by other
10.
/countries
CONFIDENTIAL
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