The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed strong disapproval of the imposition of additional 10% duty on Hong Kong products set out in the Federal Register notice of the US Customs & 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 Hong Kong SAR Government said the US' imposition of additional duty on Hong Kong products 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 the Basic Law Article 116.

It highlighted that Hong Kong has been a staunch supporter of rule-based multilateral trading system, maintaining constructive and mutually beneficial trade relations with trading partners all over the world, including the US.

As a founding member of the WTO, the Hong Kong SAR has all along been upholding the principle of free and unimpeded trade. The Hong Kong SAR Government strongly opposes any attempts to undermine the city's reputation and erode its status as a separate customs territory.

The Hong Kong SAR Government urged the US to take urgent action to rectify the notice as well as lift the suspension of accepting inbound postal items containing goods from Hongkong Post as a matter of priority.

It emphasised that if the US does not rectify its wrongdoing, the Hong Kong SAR Government will take all possible actions to defend the city’s legitimate interests, including considering taking up the matter in the WTO.