TNAG-0341-FCO40-377-Effects-on-Hong-Kong-of-long-term-policy-for-textiles-in-int-1972 — Page 154

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but did have GATT relationship with the 6 members of the

EEC and the 3 other applicant countries. The EEC is

not a member as a single entity.

1. The situation was somewhat different in the CTC

where the UK signed both on its own behalf and sepa-

rately for Hong Kong. Physically, Hong Kong's delegate

sat separately from the UK team. The EEC as a whole

vas a member, and so were its individual member states.

5. Difficulties would 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-à-vis the other 9 EEC members, whilst the latter

remained High_7 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 Con-

tracting Party, but that this long-term and possibly

hypothetical problem, as far as Hong Kong is concerned, could not be considered usefully at this stage7.

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, would have agreed to the

general EEC line in any given case?

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

tain their non-GATT relationship with the UK but did

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

/He said

OMIT?

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