CYPHER CAT A
CONFIDENTIAL
PRIORITY HONG KONG TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
PRIORITY HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO.M91 TO OTTAWA OF 21 MARCH, 1969
L
CONFIDENTIAL. [NEUTRAL]
RECEIVED IN
ADDRESSED OTTAWA TELEGRAM M91 OF 21 MARCH RFI FCO AND ARCHIVES No.31 UKMIS GENEVA (FOR JONES).
YOUR TELEGRAM 14: CANADIAN CUSTOMS VALUATION.
24 MAR 1969
HKK 6/331/
WE ARE FOLLOWING YOUR ADVICE AND COMPILING A CASE BASED UPON
1
COSTINGS WHICH WERE GIVEN TO THE CANADIAN CUSTOMS INVESTIGATOR.
2. WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT SIMILAR ACTION WAS TAKEN SOME TIME AGO
AGAINST JAPAN, TAIWAN AND KOREA. A CANADIAN IMPORTER CURRENTLY IN
HONG KONG ADVISED US THAT THE LATTER TWO COUNTRIES SUCCESSFULLY
CONTESTED THE HIGH ARBITRARY VALUATIONS AND HAD THEM REPLACED BY
FIGURES WHICH ARE CURRENTLY IN FORCE, 19% IN THE CASE OF TAIWAN AND
20% IN THE CASE OF KOREA. HE SAID THIS WAS ACHIEVED THROUGH GOVERN-
MENT ACTION ON THE POLITICAL LEVEL, BASED GENERALLY ON THE UNREASON-
ABLE USE OF CANADIAN LEGISLATION AND THE DAMAGE WHICH WAS
THREATENED TO TRADE, AND THROUGH A LEGAL CASE FOUGHT BY A TORONTO
LAWYER, HUBERT J. STITT, WHO SPECIALISES IN CUSTOMS VALUATION CASES.
3. COULD YOU ESTABLISH IF THIS IS AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION? IF IT
IS, WOULD YOU ADVISE THAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF KOREA AND
TAIWAN ? IF STITT WERE INVITED TO HONG KONG FOR BRIEFING I WOULD.
EXPECT THAT THE HONG KONG TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, AN INDEPENDENT
STATUTORY BODY FINANCED FROM PUBLIC FUNDS, OR A TRADE ASSOCIATION
REPRESENTING THE INTERESTED EXPORTERS WOULD BE PREPARED TO RETAIN
HIS SERVICES.
4. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR EARLY ADVICE.
FCO PLEASE PASS PRIORITY TO OTTAWA, ROUTINE TO UKMIS GENEVA.
SIR D. TRENCH
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DISTRIBUTION
H.K.D.
*
N.A.C.D.
TR. POL. DEPT.
COMMODITIES DEPT.
[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]
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