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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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Press Release

Revised Strategic Commodities Control List in effect on February 4
Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2009 will come into operation on February 4, 2010.

A spokesperson for the Trade and Industry Department (TID) said, "The major changes involve the relaxation of control over certain wireless personal area network equipment devices with published or commercial cryptographic standard (including certain wireless routers and wireless printers, etc.) and removal of control on certain field programmable logic devices (including certain high-technology integrated circuits with memory function).

"The current exercise updates Hong Kong's strategic commodities control list to reflect the latest revisions adopted in the strategic commodities control lists of relevant international non-proliferation regimes, i.e. the Wassenaar Arrangement and the Missile Technology Control Regime."

"Hong Kong has been closely following the control thresholds adopted by the international non-proliferation regimes. This is to ensure that we would always be upholding controls to the highest international standards, while relieving traders from licensing requirements when the international standards are relaxed," the spokesperson said.

Under Hong Kong's legislative framework, import and export of strategic commodities is subject to licensing control by the Director-General of Trade and Industry. "Such control helps maintain the confidence of technology supplying countries in our control system, thereby ensuring Hong Kong's continued access to high-technology," the spokesperson explained. 

Traders may visit the website of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (www.gov.hk) to access the Order.

Enquiries can be made to the Strategic Trade Controls Branch of TID by telephone at 2398 5587 or by email at stc@tid.gov.hk. 

The TID will also inform traders of the details of the amended schedule through circular and general advisory service.

Ends