Press Releases

Revised Strategic Commodities Control List Will Take Effect on 11 June 2004
Friday, June 4, 2004

The Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2004, gazetted on 30 April 2004 and tabled at the Legislative Council on 5 May 2004, will come into operation on 11 June 2004.

"Hong Kong has followed closely the international control regimes and imposed controls to the highest international standards. Whenever these regimes introduce changes to their control lists, Hong Kong would follow suit where appropriate," a spokesman for the Trade and Industry Department said. "The current exercise, for instance, will update Hong Kong's strategic commodities control list to incorporate the latest changes adopted by the various international control regimes including the Wassenaar Arrangement, Missile Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and Nuclear Suppliers Group, " he added.

"To most traders, the more significant changes to become effective are the relaxation of control threshold of computers from the current 28,000 million theoretical operations per second (Mtops) to 190,000 Mtops and the removal of control over general purpose microprocessors. All these changes would render the import and export of microprocessors and most commonly available computers be exempted from licensing control." said the spokesman.

Under Hong Kong's legislative framework, import and export of strategic commodities are subject to licensing controls by the Director-General of Trade and Industry. "Such control is necessary in order to monitor and control the flow of strategic commodities, and hence to maintain the confidence of the supplying countries of these products in our control system, thereby ensuring Hong Kong's continued access to high-technology products," the spokesman said.

Traders may visit the websites of the Strategic Commodities Control System (http://www.stc.tid.gov.hk) or the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (http://www.gov.hk) to refer to the Order (L. N. 65 of 2004 in Legal Supplement No. 2 to Gazette No. 18 Vol. 8 published on 30 April 2004).

Enquiries on the amendments can be made to the Strategic Trade Controls Branch, Trade and Industry Department, 5th floor, Trade and Industry Department Tower, 700 Nathan Road, Mong Kok, Kowloon, by telephone at 2398 5587 or by email at stc@tid.gov.hk.

The Department will also inform traders of the details of the amended Schedule through circulars and general advisory service.

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