TNAG-0250-FCO40-286-Discussions-on-EEC-negotiations-between-officials-of-Hong-Ko-1970 — Page 164

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HONG KONG'S POST ENTRY GATT POSITION

8.

The alternatives open to Hong Kong would appear to be:

i.

ii.

If there is no change in Hong Kong's GATT status the GATT would conlume to be applied to book

- combine to apply the CATT ve Hong Kong

though the UK

Li

in terms of Articles XXIV 1 and XXVI 5(a) quoted above.

As long as Britain remains a separate contracting party

to the GATT, there would be no formal change in the way

Hong Kong would be represented in the GATT by "the UK on

behalf of Hong Kong" whether such a spokesman sat with

the EEC bloc or elsewhere.

In the context of a proposal to give Hong Kong authority

to negotiate voluntary restraint agreements with third

countries outside the cotton textile field,

Sir Eugene Melville has suggested that separate Hong Kong

representation should be sought in the GATT Cotton

Textile Committee and in the new GATT Working Party on

Textiles. This would amount to a Delegation of representa-

tion by the UK. The advantages claimed for such an

arrangement are

a.

b.

there would be no difficulty about conflicting

views being expressed between UK and Hong Kong

representatives in the Committee and

such a form of independent representation of Hong

Kong could provide a test bed for assessing whether

wider freedom could be given to Hong Kong in the

GATT.

5.