LCQ17: Regulating electrical appliances purchased through cross-border e-commerce platforms
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Question:
It is reported that Singapore will implement new legislation starting this July to bring under regulation the direct online purchase by individuals of regulated electrical appliances (such as water heaters and clothes dryers) from overseas, making it an offence if such appliances fail to meet the country's energy performance standards and comply with the Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme. There are views that with the proliferation of cross-border e-commerce, a large volume of electrical appliances from overseas is being sold to Hong Kong, some of which fail to meet local statutory requirements in terms of plug types and safety standards, thus posing potential fire and public safety hazards. Moreover, cross-border e-commerce platforms currently circumvent the recycling levy (i.e. the regulated electrical equipment levy) that local suppliers are required to bear under the Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance (Cap. 603), as well as the requirements under the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MEELS). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of accidents such as fires and electrical leakages caused by electrical appliances purchased through cross-border online shopping, as well as the number of casualties, over the past five years; in view of the grey area in the current legislation regarding the regulation of electrical appliances purchased by individuals for personal use through cross-border online shopping, whether the authorities will study ways to enhance the regulatory regime, including exploring the establishment of a compliance collaboration mechanism with cross-border e-commerce platforms to ensure that products sold to Hong Kong comply with local statutory safety standards, and requiring such platforms to fulfil the same legal obligations as local suppliers do (including paying the recycling levy and complying with MEELS), so as to safeguard public safety and ensure a level playing field in the business environment;
(2) whether the authorities will step up random inspections targeting high-risk electrical appliances at various boundary control points, and highlight through public education the risks of electrical leakage or fire possibly caused by the prolonged use of adaptors and unauthorised modification of plugs; and
(3) whether the authorities will follow Singapore's practice by subjecting high-risk electrical appliances purchased by individuals for personal use through cross-border e-commerce platforms to MEELS and safety regulations, so as to tackle at root, from a legal perspective, the problem of non-compliant electrical appliances flowing into Hong Kong?
Reply:
President,
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is responsible for the enforcement of the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance (Cap. 598) and the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation (Cap. 406G) made under the Electricity Ordinance (Cap. 406), with a view to promoting the energy efficiency of prescribed products and ensuring the safety of household electrical products. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) implements the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment through the Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance (Cap. 603) to ensure the proper disposal of abandoned regulated electrical and electronic equipment (i.e. air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, stand-alone tumble dryers, dehumidifiers, computers, printers, scanners and monitors, referred hereafter as "regulated electrical equipment" (REE)).
At present, if anyone purchases household electrical products through a cross-boundary e-commerce platform, or imports them in person for personal use, these conducts are not regarded as a supply in Hong Kong. If a cross-boundary e-commerce platform only provides product price comparison or buyer-seller matching services, and the transportation is handled by a third-party logistics provider, the platform and logistics company is also not considered as a supplier or seller. Therefore, the aforementioned products do not fall within the regulatory scope of the relevant legislations, viz. the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation, the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance, and the Product Eco-responsibility Ordinance. In response to the question raised by the Hon Rock Chen, our reply is as follows:
(1) Generally speaking, household electrical products supplied by e-commerce platforms in the Chinese Mainland must comply with the safety requirements of the China Compulsory Certification (3C Certification) of the country. Currently, the safety testing conducted under 3C Certification is based on Guobiao (GB) standards. They are generally equivalent to IEC international standards, meaning that the requirements for the main body of these products are largely on par with those under the Regulation in Hong Kong. In the first four months of 2026 a total of 22 incidents involving household electrical products were recorded after preliminary investigation. None of them was found to involve household electrical products supplied via cross-boundary e-commerce platforms. The Government did not maintain records of whether the household electrical products involved in incidents were supplied via cross‑boundary e‑commerce platforms in and before 2025.
The EMSD has proactively established regular communication mechanism with Chinese Mainland e-commerce platforms and reminded them that household electrical products supplied in Hong Kong must comply with local legislative requirements regarding electrical safety standards, and affix energy efficiency labelling. The EPD has already contacted relevant cross-boundary e-commerce platforms, if their business models involve the distribution or sale of REE in Hong Kong, they are required to register with the EPD as registered suppliers and/or sellers, submit quarterly returns to the EPD for the assessment and payment of recycling levies in accordance with the law. They are also required to provide a statutory free removal service. As for cross-boundary e-commerce platforms that provide matching services for merchants and buyers only and without engaging in the distribution or sale of REE, the EPD has urged them to avoid unregistered merchants to distribute REE in Hong Kong through their platforms. The EPD will continue to monitor the modus operandi of cross-boundary e-commerce platforms in Hong Kong, to ensure that their business activities in Hong Kong comply with the relevant legislative requirements.
(2) Since 2019, the EMSD has been maintaining the Cross-boundary E-commerce Working Group with the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China under the Cooperation Arrangement on Electrical and Mechanical Products Safety and Energy Efficiency, which focuses on controlling the risks arising from cross-boundary e-commerce platforms. The EMSD reports to the relevant Chinese Mainland authorities, through the Working Group, on household electrical products supplied through cross-boundary e-commerce platforms to Hong Kong that fail to comply with general 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. In addition, 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 will also proactively conduct sample checks on household electrical products on cross-boundary e-commerce platforms, and engaged third parties 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.
As for 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. The EMSD will allocate more resources this year 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, especially to remind the public of the risks associated with long-term use of adaptors and not to modify plugs themselves.
(3) The issues arising from the purchase of household electrical products via cross-boundary e-commerce platforms are complex and span across different jurisdictions, which needs careful handling. The Government has been keeping in view of the regulatory frameworks in other regions, including Singapore's Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, which will come into effect this July. We understand that the Bill will extend the regulatory scope from electrical suppliers to individual consumers. Consumers who personally import electrical products that do not meet Singapore's minimum energy performance standards or are not affixed with energy labels, whether for personal use or not, will be subject to a fine. The Government needs to observe how the relevant bill is implemented there upon its implementation, take into account the differences between the two regions in areas such as import and export controls and the industry environment, as well as the feasibility of local enforcement, before being in a position to assess whether similar adoptions in Hong Kong would strike a balance between public convenience and protection of consumer interests. Meanwhile, the Government will continue to enforce the laws within the existing legal framework and adopt a multi-pronged approach, including strengthening interception at source, inspections, and publicity and education.
Ends/Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:00
Issued at HKT 12:00
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