INDUSTRY AND TRADE
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vitally important to the Hong Kong economy. Since Hong Kong has practically no raw materials, the origin of manufactured goods is established by the nature of the work carried out in Hong Kong factories in transforming imported raw materials into a wide range of what are essentially consumer goods. The Commerce and Industry Department is responsible for ensuring that Hong Kong certificates of origin remain fully acceptable to overseas customs authorities and, to this end, the department has established a close system of liaison in certification matters with the three non-government issuing bodies approved for this purpose-the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Indian Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. A number of overseas authorities still require imports of Hong Kong products to be covered by certificates of origin issued by the Commerce and Industry Department. During the year, exports of goods certified by the department to be of Hong Kong origin were valued at $1,520 million.
The department also issues certificates to enable Hong Kong products to claim preferential rates of duty on entry into Britain and a number of other Commonwealth territories which grant preference to Hong Kong. Commonwealth preference certificates are issued against either legal undertakings by manufacturers to use Commonwealth raw materials or detailed cost statements for each type of product prepared by public accountants approved for the purpose. Exports covered by Commonwealth preference certificates were valued at $1,115 million,
I
United States law prohibits the importation of certain classes of goods presumed to originate from the People's Republic of China, North Korea or North Vietnam, unless evidence is produced to the contrary. As Hong Kong manufacturers produce many goods in these categories, the department issues comprehensive certificates of origin under special certification procedures agreed with the United States authorities. During the year, goods valued at $817 million were exported to the United States and its dependencies under comprehensive certificates of origin. The total value of Hong Kong products certified under departmental certification procedures in 1966 was $3,452 million, representing over 60 per cent of total exports of locally manufactured products.