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The Government will table at the Legislative Council next Wednesday (November 18) the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2009.
"The purpose of the order is to reflect the latest revisions adopted in the strategic commodities control lists of relevant international non-proliferation regimes, i.e. the Wassenaar Arrangement and the Missile Technology Control Regime", a spokesman for the Trade and Industry Department (TID) said.
The major changes involve the relaxation of control over certain wireless personal area network equipment devices with published or commercial cryptographic standard (including certain wireless routers and wireless printers) and removal of control on certain field programmable logic devices (including certain high-technology integrated circuits with memory function).
"Traders should welcome the enactment of the order as they will no longer have to apply for import and export licences for trading relevant commodities," the spokesman said.
Under Hong Kong's legislative framework, the import and export of strategic commodities is subject to licensing control by the Director-General of Trade and Industry.
The purpose of imposing licensing control is to monitor and control the flow of strategic commodities in order to maintain the confidence of technology supplying countries in Hong Kong's control system, thereby ensuring Hong Kong's continued access to high-technology.
"Hong Kong has been closely following the control thresholds adopted by the international non-proliferation regimes. This is to ensure that we would always be upholding controls to the highest international standards, whilst relieving traders from licensing requirements when the international standards are relaxed," the spokesman said.
The Amendment Order was gazetted today (November 13) and will be tabled at the Legislative Council on November 18. Once the legal procedure is completed, the order will come into force on a day to be appointed by the Director-General of Trade and Industry by notice in the Gazette.
Traders may visit the website of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (www.gov.hk) to access the Gazette.
Enquiries can be made to the Strategic Trade Controls Branch of the TID by telephone at 2398 5587 or by email at stc@tid.gov.hk.
The TID will also inform traders of the details of the amended schedule through circulars and general advisory service.
Ends/Friday, November 13, 2009
Issued at HKT 10:25
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