TNAG-0237-FCO40-273-Trade-relations-between-EEC-and-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 25

CYPHER/CAT A

CONFIDENTIAL

IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TEL. NO. 461

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.51 13 JUL WO

TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

67

10 JULY 1970

CONFIDENTIAL /NEUTRAL/

JJKK %

ADDRESSED FCO TELNO. 461 OF 13TH JULY RFI UKDEL EEC,

BRUSSELS (FOR DODGE) UKMIS GENEVA (FOR JONES), BONN, THE

HAGUE, PARIS AND ROME.

MOT

UKMIS GENEVA TEL. 30 TO ME.

65

REF.

UKDEL EEC TEL. 305 TO YOU AND BRUSSELS TEL. 24 TO ME, AND

YOUR TEL. 92 TO BRUSSELS.

(68

COTTON TEXTILES: HONG KONG/EEC.

WHILE I AGREE WITH JONES' OBSERVATIONS THAT DEALING WITH THE

COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT FROM NEGOTIATING WITH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER

STATES, I DISAGREE WITH HIS CONCLUSIONS BECAUSE:

(A) WE CANNOT CONCEDE THE PRINCIPLE OF COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE

WITHOUT NEGOTIATIONS:

(B) THE ELIMINATION OF FABRICS FROM RESTRAINT IS AN IMPORTANT

OBJECTIVE: NOT MERELY BECAUSE THE TRIVIAL TRADE FIGURES DO JUST--

IFY RESTRAINT, BUT ALSO BECAUSE FUTURE HARMONISATION OF UK AND

EEC TEXTILES POLICIES IN REGARD TO HONG KONG SHOULD BE MUCH FACIL-

ITATED BY EEC RECOGNITION NOW THAT FABRIC IMPORTS ARE NOT SENSITIVE:

(C) IN THE MATTER OF CATEGORISATION THERE IS NO LOGICAL BASIS

ON WHICH TO REACH AGREEMENT WITHOUT SHARE OF MARKET FIGURES:

CONFIDENTIAL

/(0) BY