The Investment Agreement signed between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Ministry of Commerce under the framework of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) will be implemented on January 1, 2018.
 
     The Agreement, which was signed on June 28, 2017, is the first investment agreement with the Mainland with pre-establishment national treatment commitments for admission of investments adopting a negative listing approach. It includes commitments from both sides with respect to substantive obligations on admission of investments of "non-services sectors" (including manufacturing sectors, mining sectors and investment in assets). The Mainland commits to providing national treatment to Hong Kong investments and investors on a par with Mainland investments and investors, except for the 26 measures listed in the Agreement. Hong Kong can also enjoy more preferential investment access than other external investors in specific sectors.  
 
       The Director-General of Trade and Industry, Ms Salina Yan, said, "The Agreement contains commitments for the promotion and protection of the increasing investment flows between the two places and contributes to the establishment of a more certain and stable investment environment. With the Agreement, CEPA becomes more comprehensive and thorough in coverage."
 
     To facilitate implementation of the Agreement and assist Hong Kong enterprises in making use of its preferential treatment to establish companies or invest in the Mainland, the Trade and Industry Department (TID) will issue Hong Kong Investor Certificates (HKI Certificate) to the enterprises concerned starting from January 1, 2018. Details of the application procedures and eligibility criteria for HKI Certificate can be found in the Notice to Investors (www.tid.gov.hk/english/aboutus/tradecircular/nti/i_maincontent.html) issued by TID.

Ends/Thursday, December 28, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:00

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