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Commerce and Industry
made up of representatives from the business, academic, professional and political sectors and senior officials from government bureaus.
Business Liaison Groups foster communication between government bureaus and departments and major business sectors and help resolve regulatory and licensing matters at the operational level. A business consultation e-platform helps businesses to access information on proposed regulations, administrative measures and procedures that would affect business, and to offer their comments.
Twenty-nine government bureaus and departments involved in providing licensing services to businesses take part in the government's Be the Smart Regulator programme, aimed at improving the efficiency, transparency and business-friendliness of their licensing systems. The programme is coordinated jointly by the Efficiency Unit under the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office and the Business Facilitation Division of the Economic Analysis and Business Facilitation Unit under the Financial Secretary's Office. The division also supports the work of the advisory committee and its task forces.
Trade Documentation
As a free port, Hong Kong maintains optimal import and export documentation requirements to facilitate trade, including an origin certification system to help its exports access external markets. Most products do not need licences to enter or leave Hong Kong. Licences are required mainly to fulfil Hong Kong's international obligations; to protect public health, safety, the environment and intellectual property rights; or to ensure the territory's continued access to advanced technologies and high-tech products.
Road Cargo System
The Customs and Excise Department's Road Cargo System facilitates customs clearance of road cargo through prior risk-profiling. It allows a shipper or his agent to submit key cargo. information electronically before the consignment is imported to, or exported from, Hong Kong. All cross-boundary goods vehicles, except those selected for inspection, undergo seamless customs clearance at the land boundary control points.
Intermodal Transhipment Facilitation Scheme and Single E-lock Scheme
The Intermodal Transhipment Facilitation Scheme (ITFS) simplifies customs clearance procedures for air-land and sea-land intermodal transhipment cargo. Enrolment is voluntary. Participating enterprises convey their transhipment cargo using goods vehicles installed with electronic locks and Global Positioning System devices recognised by the department. The cargo normally undergoes inspection only once, if selected at all, at the point of entry or exit.
The Single E-lock Scheme streamlines customs clearance procedures through connecting the ITFS with a speedy clearance system operated by Mainland customs. Mutually recognised electronic locks are used to minimise duplicate inspections of the same consignment at the boundary. This service is available at 34 clearance points in the Guangdong and Hunan provinces.
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