TUESDAY, OCTOPE 22, 1991
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THE WORLD-WIDE ADOPTION OF THE HS CAN REDUCE THE EXPENSES INCURRED IN REDESCRIBING, RECLASSIFYING AND RECODING GOODS AS THEY MOVE FROM ONE COUNTRY TO ANOTHER, MR MOK SAID.
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HE SAID IT ALSO FACILITATED THE COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE STATISTICS; AND REDUCED UNCERTAINTY IN THE NEGOTIATION AND INTERPRETATION OF TRADE AGREEMENTS.
THE COMMISSIONER SAID MANY OF HONG KONG'S TRADING PARTNERS HAB ADOPTED THE HS SINCE 1988.
HONG KONG HAD ALSO ADOPTED THE HS SINCE JANUARY 1988 FOR IMPORT AND EXPORT DECLARATION PURPOSE, BUT ON A PARTIAL BASIS ONLY, HE ADDED.
HE EXPLAINED THAT PARTIAL IMPLEMENTATION WAS CONSIDERED AS A MORE PRACTICABLE APPROACH FOR HONG KONG WHICH, UNLIKE MOST OTHER COUNTRIES, RAD NO EXPERIENCE OF USING A CUSTOMS NOMENCLATURE SIMILAR TO THE HS.
BEFORE 1988, HONG KONG HAD LONG BEEN USING THE STANDARD INTERNATIONAL TRADE CLASSIFICATION (SITC) SYSTEM FOR BOTH TRADE DECLARATION AND STATISTICAL REPORTING,
MR MOK EXPLAINED THAT BY ADOPTING THE HS ON A PARTIAL BASIS WITH MOST OF THE COMMODITY ITEM CODES CLOSELY CORRELATED TO THE SITC COMMODITY CODES FAMILIAR TO TRADERS, THE BURDEN OF ADAPTING TO Á NEW CLASSIFICATION COULD BE REDUCED TO BOTH TRADERS AND GOVERNMENT STAFF INVOLVED IN PROCESSING THE TRADE DOCUMENTS.
"BY NOW, AFTER HAVING IMPLEMENTED THE HS ON A PARTIAL BASIS FOR SUFFICIENT EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN GAINED BY HONG KONG IN
FOUR YEARS, APPLYING THE HS.
"MOREOVER, THE NEED FOR FULL ADOPTION OF THE HS IS KEENLY FELT AS MOST OF HONG KONG'S TRADING PARTNERS HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE HS IN FULL," HE SAID.
MR MOK SAID HONG KONG HAD BEEN PREPARING FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE HARMONISED SYSTEM FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
A COMMITTEE RAD BRRN SET UP TO OVERSEE THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM.
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APART FROM GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, THE COMMITTEE ALSO CONSISTED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE HONG KONG TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, THE KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE CHINESE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION AND THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES.
HONG
THE MAJOR ACTIVITIES
COMMISSIONER SAID, INCLUDED
CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTER, THE REVISING THE HONG KONG IMPORTS AND EXPORTS CLASSIFICATION LIST, MODIFYING THE COMPUTERISED TRADE STATISTICS SYSTEM AND AMENDING THE RELEVANT LAW.
/ALSO INCLUDED