RUBBER EXPORTS TO CHINA (Statement by the Minister for Commerce and Industry)

The Minister for Commerce and Industry (Mr J. M. Jumabhoy): Sir, hon. Members will no doubt have read with pleasure the announcement I made on Monday that exports of rubber in reasonable quantities may now be permitted to China. The embargo on such exports has been a source of great dissatisfaction to the trade. Therefore, in accordance with the declared policy of this Government to do everything within its power to encourage and expand trade, strong representations were made to the Secretary of State for the Colonies for the removal of the ban. I am sure that the favourable reaction of Her Majesty's Government to our representations and those of the Federation Government in permitting such exports now will be received with gratification by hon. Members and by the trade.

Certain doubts have been expressed, Sir, in the last two days as to the precise meaning of the term "reasonable quantities". This is a matter on which my Ministry would have to use their judgment, and where they are in doubt, they will use their judgment in consultation with the Colonial Office. The number of applications, total quantity applied for, and the actual demand from China would be some of the factors that we shall take into consideration. Individual applications for, say, up to 2,000 tons will be dealt with straightaway in my Ministry, each application being judged on its merits. Applications for larger quantities would be referred to the Colonial Office. I may add, Sir, that there is no need for the trade to take an unduly pessimistic viewpoint that our discretion will be exercised harshly.

One other matter, Sir. Hon. Members will recollect a statement made by my friend and colleague the Hon. the Chief Minister a few months back that, while in Delhi in December last, together with him, I took up the matter of according preferential treatment, for duty purposes, to some commodities exported from Singapore to India which, until now, were not enjoying such treatment. In accordance with the declared policy of this Government to assist trade and to develop friendly relations with our neighbours, I again took the opportunity to make personal representations on this subject to the Hon. the Minister for Commerce of the Government of India when I was in Bangalore attending the E.C.A.F.E. conference last January. As a result of these representations, hon. Members will be pleased to learn that the Government of India have been kind enough to see our viewpoint, and the difficulties of our merchants on this score have been satisfactorily solved.