LCQ9: Household electrical products supplied through cross-boundary e-commerce platforms
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Question:
The Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation (Cap. 406G), made under the Electricity Ordinance (Cap. 406), currently only regulates the safety of household electrical products supplied in Hong Kong. They do not apply to household electrical products supplied to Hong Kong via cross-boundary e-commerce platforms (electrical products). Since 2019, a Cross-border E-commerce Working Group was established between the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the General Administration of Customs of the Mainland, with the focus on controlling the risks arisen from cross-border e-commerce platforms, including the reporting of unsafe electrical products supplied through these platforms. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the quantity of electrical products supplied to Hong Kong through cross-boundary e-commerce platforms over the past five years; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) of the types, selling prices and non-compliance of the unsafe electrical products supplied through cross-border e-commerce platforms that the EMSD notified the Mainland over the past five years, with the relevant information set out in a table; the ways in which the EMSD conducted spot checks on the relevant products and the standards on which these checks were based;
(3) as the Government has previously stated that, upon receiving notifications from the EMSD regarding unsafe electrical products supplied through cross-border e-commerce platforms, the Mainland Authority will conduct follow-up actions according to the case merits (including proactive measures such as order interception and product delisting) to prevent unsafe electrical products from entering Hong Kong, whether the Government has put in place a similar mechanism or measures to address unsafe electrical products that have already entered the market (such as recall of affected products in Hong Kong); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) as electrical products purchased through cross-border e-commerce platforms have not been issued with certificates of safety compliance of Hong Kong, if a fire or electric shock accident occurs due to non-compliance with Hong Kong safety standards, whether the Government has support measures in place to assist consumers in seeking compensation from the platform or the seller;
(5) as the Government has previously stated that it currently has no plans to amend the relevant regulations governing electrical products supplied to Hong Kong through cross-border e-commerce platforms, whether the authorities will consider drawing on the experience of other jurisdictions and requiring cross-border e-commerce platforms to assume the gatekeeping responsibility for ensuring the compliance of the goods they sell; and
(6) as it has been reported that some cross-boundary e-commerce platforms intend to open physical shops in Hong Kong, adopting an offline mode to display products sold on their platforms (including electrical products), whether the authorities will provide relevant guidelines to ensure that the specifications of non-local electrical products displayed in these physical shops of the e-commerce platforms comply with local legal requirements?
Reply:
President,
In response to the question raised by Dr the Hon Thomas So, the reply is as follows:
(1) to (4) The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is responsible for administering the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation (Cap. 406G) made under the Electricity Ordinance (Cap. 406), which imposes statutory control on the safety of all household electrical products supplied in Hong Kong to safeguard the public when using these electrical products. At present, if anyone purchases household electrical products through a cross-boundary e-commerce platform, or imports them in person for personal use, such conducts are not regarded as a supply in Hong Kong and thus fall outside the scope of control of the Regulation.
Generally speaking, household electrical products supplied by e-commerce platforms on the Chinese Mainland must comply with the safety requirements of the national China Compulsory Certification (3C Certification). Currently, the safety testing conducted under 3C Certification is based on Guobiao (GB) standards, which are generally equivalent to IEC international standards, meaning that the requirements for the main body of the product are largely consistent with those under the Regulation in Hong Kong.
Since 2019, the Cross-boundary E-commerce Working Group has been established under the Cooperation Arrangement on Electrical and Mechanical Products Safety and Energy Efficiency between the EMSD and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China. The Working Group focuses on controlling the risks arising from cross-boundary e-commerce platforms. The EMSD reports to the relevant Chinese Mainland authority, through the Working Group, on household electrical products supplied through cross-boundary e-commerce platforms to Hong Kong that fail to comply with the requirements of the abovementioned safety standards. Upon receipt of the report, the relevant Chinese Mainland authorities will take actions based on the actual circumstances, including requesting the e-commerce platforms to intercept orders, so that users with Hong Kong IP addresses will not be able to place orders for the relevant products. After conducting a risk assessment and confirming that the product is unsafe, the relevant authorities will request the e-commerce platforms to remove the product from shelves. The EMSD has extended the testing coverage of household electrical products, proactively conducted sample checks on cross-boundary e-commerce platforms, and engaged third party testing and certification bodies to conduct safety standard testing. If the relevant products are found to have failed to comply with the safety standards, such as posing potential risks of fire or electric shock, the relevant Chinese Mainland authorities will be informed to intercept the import of the unsafe electrical products into Hong Kong. In the first three months of 2026, after preliminary investigations, there were a total of 15 electrical incidents involving household electrical products. None of which involved products supplied through cross-boundary e-commerce services.
The numbers of unsafe electrical products supplied through cross-boundary e-commerce platforms reported by the EMSD to the Chinese Mainland authority through the Working Group in the past five years (2021 to 2025) are tabulated as follows:
| Product types | Cases (number) |
| Extension Unit | 20 |
| Adaptor | 9 |
| Electric Cooker | 1 |
| Total | 30 |
The Government does not maintain the number of household electrical products supplied to members of the public in Hong Kong through cross-boundary e-commerce platforms, nor the sales prices of the reported products.
(5) The issues arising from the purchase of household electrical products through cross-boundary e-commerce platforms are complex and span across different jurisdictions. The Government will continue to monitor whether other regions have feasible solutions that suit Hong Kong's situation, while exploring room for optimising existing legislation to strike a balance between enforcement feasibility, public convenience, and the protection of consumer interests. Meanwhile, the Government will continue the enforcement work under the existing legal framework, and follow up on the issue through a multipronged approach involving interception at source, strengthened inspections, as well as publicity and education.
Regarding publicity and education, the EMSD has been promoting knowledge on electrical products safety and the potential risks of cross-boundary online shopping through various channels. Relevant measures include the display of promotional materials on electronic screens at boundary control points and inside MTR stations, collaboration with departments such as the Home Affairs Department and the Fire Services Department to organise community activities, as well as placement of media advertisements and publish posts on social media platforms. This year, the EMSD has increased its resource allocation to strengthen the dissemination of household electrical products safety information to the public through mass media channels such as television drama placements, radio broadcasts and newspaper columns, in order to enhance public awareness in a comprehensive manner.
(6) The Regulation applies to all household electrical products supplied in Hong Kong. The EMSD has proactively established a regular communication mechanism with Chinese Mainland e-commerce platforms, highlighting that household electrical products supplied in physical shops must comply with local regulations. Currently, only one major Chinese Mainland e-commerce platform has opened a physical shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, and no household electrical products are displayed in the shop. The EMSD will continue to conduct inspections and monitor developments to ensure that the e-commerce platform concerned continues to comply with the relevant requirements.
Ends/Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:29
Issued at HKT 12:29
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