A Government spokesman said today (June 3) that the part relating to Indonesia under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Investment Agreement (IA) between Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will enter into force on July 4.
 
     On trade in goods under the FTA, Indonesia will progressively reduce and eliminate customs duties on goods originating from Hong Kong. The tariff commitments made by Indonesia cover different kinds of Hong Kong commodities, including jewellery, articles of apparel and clothing accessories, watches and clocks as well as toys, etc. To enjoy the preferential tariff treatment for exporting Hong Kong goods to Indonesia under the FTA, Hong Kong traders have to comply with the relevant preferential rules of origin and fulfil the related requirements, and to apply for certificates of origin from the Trade and Industry Department (TID) or Government Approved Certification Organizations to cover the goods concerned. For details, please refer to the relevant trade circulars issued by the TID at www.tid.gov.hk/english/aboutus/tradecircular/coc/2020/coc2020.html.
 
     On trade in services, Hong Kong service providers will enjoy better business opportunities and legal certainty in market access for different services sectors in Indonesia under the FTA. These include services sectors in which Hong Kong has traditional strengths or has potential for development, including business services, construction and related engineering services, and tourism and travel related services.
 
     Under the IA, Indonesia will provide Hong Kong enterprises investing in its area with fair and equitable treatment of their investments, physical protection and security of their investments as well as the assurance of the free transfer of their investments and returns. In case of expropriation or investment loss owing to war, armed conflict or similar event, Indonesia will also provide compensation to Hong Kong enterprises investing in its area according to the agreed standard as specified under the IA.
 
     With the entry into force for the part relating to Indonesia, there will be a total of eight ASEAN member states (viz. Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) for which both the FTA and the IA have entered into force. The dates of entry into force for the remaining two ASEAN member states (viz. Brunei Darussalam and Cambodia) will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
 
     For the texts and the key features of the FTA and the IA, please refer to the website of the TID at www.tid.gov.hk/english/ita/fta/hkasean/index.html.

Ends/Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Issued at HKT 15:00

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