HKSAR Government expresses strong disapproval of US’ imposition of additional duty on products of Hong Kong and temporary suspension of inbound postal items containing goods from Hongkong Post
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The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (February 5) expressed strong disapproval of the imposition of additional 10 per cent duty on products of Hong Kong set out in the Federal Register notice (the “FR Notice”) of the United States (US) Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, and the temporary suspension of inbound postal items containing goods from Hongkong Post by the US Postal Service.
The spokesman for the HKSAR Government said, “The US’ imposition of additional duty on products of Hong Kong ignores the basic fact that Hong Kong is a separate customs territory, which is recognised by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and clearly stipulated in Article 116 of the Basic Law. We have been a staunch supporter of rule-based multilateral trading system, maintaining constructive and mutually beneficial trade relations with our trading partners all over the world including the US. In 2023, the US was the third largest trading partner of Hong Kong, with the total merchandise trade value amounting to US$60.3 billion. At the same time, Hong Kong is the US’ 27th largest trading partner. During the past 10 years, the US has realised a trade surplus of US$271.5 billion with Hong Kong, the largest among its global trading partners. These figures clearly demonstrate the close economic interaction between Hong Kong and the US, as well as the vast business interests of US businesses in Hong Kong.”
“As a founding member of the WTO, the HKSAR has all along been upholding the principle of free and unimpeded trade. We strongly oppose any attempts to undermine Hong Kong’s reputation and erode our status as a separate customs territory. We urge the US to take urgent actions to rectify the FR Notice as well as to lift the suspension of accepting inbound postal items containing goods from Hongkong Post as a matter of priority.
“We are closely monitoring developments. If the US does not rectify its wrongdoing, we will take all possible actions to defend our legitimate interests, including consider taking up the matter in the WTO,” stressed the spokesman.
