- 5
The requirements also provide that if a US textile production verification team is in Hong Kong, the consignment will be detained until the team verifies that production has actually taken place in Hong Kong.
"These measures are disruptive to our trade," said the spokesman.
"We understand that the measures are intended to tackle illegal textiles transhipment. But they are objectionable because they are being taken in the absence of concrete evidence of illegal transhipment of such products in Hong Kong, and they affect both legitimate and illegitimate traders indiscriminately.
"Also, the US has imposed such discriminatory measures against Hong Kong unilaterally without any prior consultations, and without any prior discussions with the Hong Kong Government to seek to establish the facts about the perceived problems of transhipment in Hong Kong.
"For these reasons we will ask the US to rescind the measures," he said.
The spokesman said should the US need time to consider Hong Kong's request, they would be asked for an immediate deferral of the implementation of the measures while the two sides continued to discuss the matter with a view to finding a mutually satisfactory solution.
"This is because we are concerned with the effects the measures may have on our consignments arriving in the US since June 17.
"The relevant traders are unlikely to be able to meet the new requirements, and may therefore be adversely affected," he said.
He said the Trade Department had informed Hong Kong traders of the US Should they require any additional information, they are welcome to contact the department's Americas Division.
measures.
Last year, Hong Kong's exports of the five specific types of products to US amounted to $3.5 billion, representing 9.6 per cent of its total textiles and clothing exports to US, or about 4 per cent of textiles and clothing exports to the world.
End