TNAG-0341-FCO40-377-Effects-on-Hong-Kong-of-long-term-policy-for-textiles-in-int-1972 — Page 116

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but did have GATT relationship (through the UK) with

the 6 members of the EEC and the 3 other applicant

countries.

4.

The EEC was not a member as a single entity.

The de facto situation was somewhat different in

the CTC where the UK signed both on its own behalf and

separately for Hong Kong; this arose from the

recognition of the different interests in this Committee

of the UK as an importer and Hong Kong as an exporter.

Physically, Hong Kong's delegate sat separately from

the UK team. The EEC as a whole was a signatory of

the LTA, and so were its individual member states.

5. Difficulties might arise for Hong Kong in these

two bodies following Britain's adherence to the Treaty

of Rome and subsequent alignment of policy among the

10 members. The problem as seen from Hong Kong fell

into two parts. First, how would the UK accession

affect Hong Kong's legal position under the GATT

vis-a-vis the other 9 EEC members, whilst the latter

remained contracting parties? It was accepted that

a different situation would arise if the member states

of the EEC gave up individual membership of the GATT and the enlarged community itself became a contracting

party, but that this was a long-term and possibly

hypothetical problem. Secondly, how Hong Kong in

practice could invoke its GATT relationship with the 9

through the UK who, as a member of the enlarged EEC,

must follow the general EEC line in any given case?

6. Mr Haddon-Cave said Hong Kong would prefer to

retain their non-GATT relationship with the UK but did

not want this non-GATT relationship extended to the EEC.

2.

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/He said

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