TNAG-0141-FCO40-177-Hong-Kong-concession--in-Kennedy-Round--on-unmanufactured-to-1969 — Page 94

* CONGENDIA

No. 1/1/68-RRG

•

2/3/1

PERMANENT MISSION OF INDIA

TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE

2. PLACE DES EAUX-VIVES

GENEVA

12th Dec. 1968.

Dear Kr. Jones,

You would recollect that a couple of days back I spoke to you on telephone regarding the implementation of Hong Kong's Kennedy Round offer on umanufactured tobacco.

2.

It might be recalled that vide your letter No. GVA/5/2 dated 17th March 1967, you had informed Mr. Swarup of the Hong Long Government's willingness to accede to the request made by U.S. to eliminate the Commonwealth Preferences on unmanufactured tobacco imported into Hong Kong. It appears that at no time it was made clear that the Hong Kong Goverment proposed to eliminate the preference in favour of all other Commonwealth suppliers with the exception of Malawi. This fact came to the notice of the concerned authorities in the Government of India very recently.

3.

Prima facie, the decision of the Hong Kong Government to continue preferential treatment to imports of unmanufactured tobacco from Malawi, while denying similar favourable treatment to imports from a Commonwealth developing country like India, would tend to introduce a certain amount of discrimination between the two Commonwealth exporters of tobacco to Hong Kong. The

*

E basis on which Hong Kong originally scoorded preferential treatment

to imports of unmanufactured tobacco from India and the implications of such action with reference to the General Agrement on Triffs

• considered. and Trade and particularly its part IV beed also

I shall be most grateful if you would have this matter looked into.

Yours sincerely,:

(R.D. Pradhan)

Resident Representative of India to GATT and UNCTAD

Mr. D.J.C. Jones,

Counsellor,

United Kingdom Mission, 37-39, rue de Vermont, 1202 Geneva.