TNAG-0240-FCO40-276-Entitlement-of-Hong-Kong-to-generalised-tariffs-preferences--1970 — Page 202

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under the generalised preferences scheme. M. Deniau said that Hong Kong was not wor popular everywhere. Mr. Rippon said that that could-be- There was certainly no love

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for Hong Kong in Lancashire. But it was unfair to say that Hong Kong was a developing country on account of its energy and enterprise and that its competitors' were developing countries who needed special help. An enlarged Community would have to take a benevolent attitude towards the third world in which Hong Kong was obviously included. M. Wellenstein said that the Community had so far got nowhere on this question. Hong Kong was certainly far from popular. It should be

recalled that textiles had come within the

scope of the Community's offer while they had been excluded from the British and American ones. M. Deniau said that this was because

its the Community based the offer on the principle that there should be no exceptions. Otherwise every member state would wish to add exceptions of its own. There would be a tremendous protest if Hong Kong were included in the Community offer as it stood. If the United States did not accept Hong Kong it

include

would be impossible for the Community to do so. has

Everyone always had that own Hong Kong.

M. Wellenstein added that even if the Community were to exclude textiles Hong Kong would still present a problem to the Community. Other Hong Kong products were very competitive within the Community, much more so than those from Taiwan. Mr. Rippon said that he thought that whatever wont for