TNAG-0146-FCO40-182-Exports-of-textiles-to-United-States-of-America-1969 — Page 16

CYPHER/CAT A'

CONFIDENTIAL

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IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TEL NO. 794

8 OCTOBER, 1969

ONFIDENTIAL

NEUTRAL]

CONFIDENTIAL ADDRESSED F C O TELNO 794 OF 8 OCTOBER R FI

WASHINGTON (FOR HERMANN), UKMIS GENEVA (FOR JONES), HONG KONG

GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON (FOR SELLERS), SEOUL AND TOKYO.

U.S. REQUEST FOR CONSULTATIONS ON M M F AND WOOL TEXTILES.

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51

FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF NOTE HANDED TO MARTIN.

BEGINS''

NOTE.

- 9 OCT 1969

14KX6/304/1

THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT NOTES THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S CONCERN WITH

THE GROWTH IN TEXTILE AND APPAREL IMPORTS GENERALLY. THE H.K.

GOVERNMENT ALSO NOTES, HOWEVER, FROM ITS STUDY OF PUBLISHED U.S.

STATISTICS, THAT IN 1968 IMPORTS OF MAN-MADE FIBRES WERE IN QUANTITY

LESS THAN 43 OF U.S. PRODUCTION AND OF TOTAL U.S. CONSUMPTION,

DESPITE THE 54% INCREASE IN TOTAL IMPORTS IN THAT YEAR. THE

RATE OF GROWTH OF THESE IMPORTS APPEARS TO HAVE ALREADY MODERATED

SINCE TOTAL IMPORTS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1969 WERE

ONLY ABOVE THE LEVEL FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF 1968,

32%

2. IN 1968 IMPORTS FROM H.K. ALONE REACHED ONLY .24% OF U.S. PRODUCTION AND .23% OF CONSUMPTION.

LAST

273)

3. SO FAR AS WOOL IS CONCERNED THE H.K. GOVERNMENT HAS NOTED

THAT, WHILE IMPORTS IN 1968 INCREASED BY 28% TO REACH MUCH

MIGHER LEVELS THAN M M F IMPORTS IN RELATION TO U.S. PRODUCTION

CONFIDENTIAL

/(28%)