INDUSTRY AND TRADE
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countries operating such schemes include Hong Kong as a beneficiary. However, certain products from Hong Kong are excluded in a discriminatory way from the schemes operated by Australia, Austria, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the United States. These exclusions are the subject of continuing official discussions between Hong Kong and the countries. concerned.
The current US GSP was due to expire in January 1985, when it would be replaced by a new scheme valid for 8 years. Hong Kong would remain a beneficiary under the new scheme. The Canadian GSP was extended in July 1984 for a further 10 years until 1994. Hong Kong remains a beneficiary of the extended scheme.
Documentation of Imports and Exports
Being a free port, Hong Kong keeps its import and export licensing requirements to a minimum. Licences issued by the Director of Trade are required for all imports and exports of textile products. This requirement stems from Hong Kong's need to fulfil its inter- national obligations to restrain exports of textile products, and to monitor the flow of textiles into Hong Kong to help identify any breaches of the textile export control system. For health or safety reasons, licences are also required for imports and exports of a few non-textile products such as pharmaceutical products.
To meet the requirements of various overseas customs authorities, there is in Hong Kong a certification of origin system to establish the origin of the goods which Hong Kong exports. The Trade Department is responsible for administering and safeguarding the integrity of this system, and issues certificates of origin where required. Other government-approved certificate issuing organisations are the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong-Kong Industries, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce.
Trade Department
The Trade Department is responsible for Hong Kong's commercial relations with foreign governments. It implements trade policy and agreements, and procedures for import and export licensing and origin certification. On matters of policy affecting trade, the Director of Trade takes advice from the Trade Advisory Board and the Textiles Advisory Board, both of which are appointed by the Governor and chaired by the Secretary for Trade and Industry.
The department consists of five divisions. Three of them deal with bilateral commercial relations with Hong Kong's trading partners. Their work includes the conduct of trade negotiations and the implementation of textile agreements, as well as collecting and dis- seminating information on developments, especially those relating to trade policy in Hong Kong's major markets, which may affect Hong Kong. The distribution of work among these three divisions is by geographical area. The fourth division deals with the multilateral aspects of Hong Kong's external commercial relations, such as its participation in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and in the negotiation of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement. The fifth division is responsible for common services, origin certification, the import and export licensing of commodities other than textiles, and a rice control scheme. The department's work is assisted by Hong Kong Government offices in London, Brussels, Geneva, New York and Washington. Details are at Appendix 2. These overseas offices are administered by the Councils and Administration Branch of the Government Secretariat, although much of their business is trade-related. They represent Hong Kong's