§ 9. Mr. Rankinasked the President of the Board of Trade what percentage of total United Kingdom exports to China in 1960 was of goods on which there was an embargo for shipment to that destination prior to May, 1957; and what was the value represented by these exports.
§ Mr. ErrollThe figures requested are not available because items, the export of which to China was formerly embargoed, are in many cases contained in statistical groupings with items not formerly embargoed.
§ Mr. RankinIs it not the case that since the differential embargo on China was removed, exports of steel, for example, have risen from £740,000 to £5 million worth and that the increase in non-ferrous metals has been from £60,000 to £9 million? Does the right hon. Gentleman recollect that in the recent debate on East-West trade he said:
When the China list was brought into line with the Russian bloc list, it did not lead to a great upsurge in trade with China in items which had been previously banned?"—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 24th April, 1961; Vol. 520, c. 97.]Do not these figures show that there was a great upsurge? Should not the right hon. Gentleman take greater credit for that than he is doing, and will he not go a small step further and try to follow the good lead set by Canada?
§ Mr. ErrollIn the debate I was speaking in general terms about Anglo-Chinese trade. I was aware, of course, that there had been a considerable increase in the export of copper rods, for example, and in other goods which had been banned, as well as a certain increase in steel, but, speaking generally, trade has steadily and uniformly increased.