Registry
No.
ECURITY CLASSIFICATION
AuxSecret
Beretx
Confidential.
CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT PAPER FOR THE
w/123
Type 1 +
FROM
MINISTERIAL
To:-
COMMITTEE ON
EUROPE 31
63
Telephone No. Ext.
REKit Englansified
PRIVACY MARKING
EUM (73)
In Confidence \ 1973
14
Department
34
HONG KONG AND THE COMMUNITY'S, GENERALISED SCHEME
OF PREFERENCES 3
1. In February 1971 we agreed with the Six during
the enlargement negotiations that Hong Kong should
be admitted to the Community's GSP, subject to
exclusion of benefits for their textiles and footwear.
Hong Kong's principal competitors/among the developing
countries do receive benefits in these categories.
This means that from 1 January 1974, when we align
willa
with the Community's GSP, we would, if we take no steps
to remedy the situation, ourselves have to discriminate
against our own colony.
2. When this agreement was made, Mr Rippon conceded
in Brussels that the case of Hong Kong was settled
definitively in the framework of the enlargement
negotiations. But he went on to say that Hong Kong was
and would remain after enlargement a dependent
territory of the United Kingdom, and concluded: "It
follows from this that it must be our continuing
concern to avoid discriminating against Hong Kong in
favour of its principal competitors among the
developing countries."
3. Mr Rippon also sent messages to the Governor of
Hong Kong recording our intention to pursue the aim of
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