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Board of Trade, London S.wi.
11/376991
Hong Kong textile associations are strongly opposed
to U.I. Textile Council's tariff recommendation.
We believe Textile Council's Report is not sound
mea
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basis for such far-reaching breach of Commonwealth Preference
system.
Replacement of global quota restrictions by tariff
on Commonwealth suppliers will not help Lancashire but will
reduce share of imports held by Commonwealth countries
including Hong Kong to benefit EFTA and Irish Republic and
other non-Commonwealth suppliers.
This will severely
disrupt paesent pattern of trade and prices.
Report justifies tariff proposal by claim that other
Commonwealth countries do the same. This is not true of
Hong Kong which has no turiff or other restrictions on
imports from Britain. ke have restrained our cotton exports
to Britain for ten years.
for present import level.
Hong Kong has no responsibility
Indeed since 1959 our exports
to Eritain of products covered by Textile Council study have
fallen from 125 million square yards to 100 million.
Nevertheless long Kong is still heavily dependent on textile
exports and on British market in particular. In 1968
27, of our cotton exports went to britain.
We urge you to reject the recommendation and to take
no precipitate action to upset established pattern of trade,
In llong Kong's case this has been frozen in response to
British requests for restraint and demands for cate orisation,
and is guaranteed in an agreement that runs to the end of
1970. The sudden breaking of this pattern would cause
unnecessary hardship, disruption and ill-feeling.
VINCENT WOO, HONGKONG COTTON SPINNERS ASSOCIATION; C.K.
CHOW, FEDERATION OF HONGKONG COTTON WEAVERS; Y.C. CHEONG, HONGKONG WEAVING MILLS ASSOCIATION; Y.L. YANG, HONGKONG FINISHING MILLS GROUP;
K.S. LAM, FEDERATION OF HONGKONG GARMENT MANUFACTURERS; FRANCIS TIEN, HONGKONG GARMENT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION; W.T. LAI, HONGKONG COTTON MADE-UP GOODS MANUFACTURERS
ASSOCIATION.
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