Press Release

Hong Kong to participate in negotiations for Environmental Goods Agreement among some WTO members
Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Hong Kong will participate in the negotiations for the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) among some World Trade Organization (WTO) members which aims at eliminating tariffs on a wide range of environmental goods, a Government spokesperson announced today (July 8).

Hong Kong's export trade will benefit from the elimination or reduction of tariffs on environmental goods by our trading partners upon the implementation of the EGA.

The elimination of tariffs on environmental goods covered by the EGA will lower the cost of those products. This will be conducive to their wider use and to environmental protection in general.

The negotiations will also attempt to address non-tariff issues relevant to the liberalisation of trade in environmental goods.

Being a trading hub and an open economy, Hong Kong is a strong advocate of trade liberalisation in multilateral and regional fora. Participation in the negotiations for the EGA is in line with this position.

The negotiations for the EGA are open to all WTO members that are prepared to eliminate tariffs on a wide range of environmental goods. The following 13 WTO members will participate in the negotiations: Australia; Canada; China; Chinese Taipei; Costa Rica; the European Union; Hong Kong, China; Japan; New Zealand; Norway; Singapore; Switzerland; and the United States.