the number of countries involved.
We have, of course,
undertaken
to have consultations as soon as possible with those countries with
contractual rights.
IV.
(Hong Kong only). Members of the Hong Kong Delegation may,
outside formal conference meetings, refer to the effect of the
tariff decision on imports from Hong Kong.
We believe that Hong Kong will not be adversely affected
by the tariff, and may well benefit, particularly if her industry
succeeds in "trading up" into clothing. We appreciate that there
may be concern in Hong Kong lest at some future date we might find
it necessary to reimpose quotas with the result that they would
then have to contend with both quotas and tariff. The President
of the Board of Trade did, however, make it clear in his statement
to Parliament, that this would happen only under certain
circumstances, as follows:
"The Government would consider the use of quotas only on
particular products under the long term cotton
arrangement of the GATT, and only if the total of
imports of cotton textiles rose significantly above the
present level and caused disruption to the market in
those particular products"
CONFIDENTIAL
J
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