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OTHER COUNTRIES. INDEED, IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG OF THESE ITENS SINCE 1975 HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINED. WHILE ONE MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE E.E.C'S WISH TO GIVE THEIR OWN INDUSTRY A RESPITE THROUGH STABILISING IMPORTS, THEIR PROPOSAL TO CREATE A POOL OF QUOTA FOR SO-CALLED 'NEWCOMERS' AND COUNTRIES WITH PREFERENTIAL ARRANGE- MENTS, AND TO DO SO AT THE EXPENSE OF HONG KONG AND A FEW OTHER ESTABLISHED SUPPLIERS, IS GROSSLY DISCRIMINATORY. WHETHER IT APPLIES TO ONE PRINCIPAL SUPPLIER OR TO THREE, IT WOULD MEAN THAT THE E.E.C WAS ASSISTING OTHER COUNTRIES NOT AT ITS OWN EXPENSE, BUT AT OURS. IT IS PARTICULARLY UNREASONABLE TO MAKE A SPECIAL TARGET OF HONG KONG, WHICH NOT ONLY IS MORE DEPENDENT ON TEXTILE EXPORTS THAN ANY OTHER COMMUNITY, BUT HAS AN EXCELLENT RECORD OF AGREEING TO AND ADMINISTERING RESTRAINTS WHERE THE NEED FOR THEM
HAS BEEN PROVED.
16.
''STABILISATION'' WOULD BE BAD ENOUGH, BUT THESE DISCRIMINATORY IDEAS SEEM TO ME TO TAKE THE WHOLE INTERNATIONAL TEXTILE TRADING SYSTEM DANGEROUSLY NEAR THE BRINK OF A PROGRESSIVE SLIDE INTO PROTECTIONISM, ALTHOUGH THE COMMISSION PROFESS THAT THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT THEY WISH TO AVOID. I HAVE OF COURSE SAID ALL THIS AND MUCH ELSE BESIDES, AS FORCEFULLY AS I KNOW HOW, IN LONDON AND BRUSSELS AND WE MUST NOW LEAVE IT TO OUR NEGOTIATORS. BUT I THINK WE SHOULD REALISE THEY WILL HAVE AN EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT TASK. OVER THE YEARS H.M.G HAS STOOD UP WELL FOR HONG KONG'S INTERESTS, AND IN THIS SITUATION WE LOOK TO THEM, AS A MEMBER OF THE E.E.C BUT ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR HONG KONG'S WELFARE, TO RESIST DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HONG KONG IN THE WAY I HAVE DESCRIBED.
RECOGNISE THE DIFFICULTIES THEY FACE OVER UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE
TEXTILE INDUSTRY BUT THEIR DEMONSTRATED NEEDS FOR PROTECTION CAN
OF COURSE BE MET BY CONTINUATION OF RESTRAINTS ON OUR EXPORTS,
BUT THE DISCRIMINATORY PART OF THE E.E.C'S PROPOSALS IS NOT
DESIGNED TO PROTECT DOMESTIC INDUSTRY SO MUCH AS TO RE-DISTRIBUTE
TRADE BY GIVING A LARGE PART OF THE PRINCIPAL SUPPLIERS' EXISTING
TRADE TO OTHER EXPORTING COUNTRIES.
WE
17. WHILE WE WILL WATCH THE COURSE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH ACUTE
ANXIETY, WE SHOULD NOT BE CARRIED AWAY BY THE DRAMA OR INDIGNATION OF THE MOMENT INTO BELIEVING THAT HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC FUTURE, OR EVEN HONG KONG'S TEXTILE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE, ARE IMMEDIATELY AT STAKE. WE COULD SUFFER A BLOW, PERHAPS EVEN A HEAVY BLOW, BUT
CERTAINLY NOT A MORTAL ONE. AT THE WORST IT WILL CONFRONT US WITH
2
/ A SERIOUS CHALLENGE.
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