ENG-2002 — Page 143

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

According to the survey conducted by the Census and Statistics Department, on June 1, 2002, there was a total of 3 119 regional headquarters and regional offices in Hong Kong of companies incorporated outside Hong Kong. Compared with the corresponding figure of 3 237 recorded for 2001, there was a decrease of 3.6 per cent.

Institutional Framework

Commerce and Industry Branch

With effect from July 1, 2002, the Commerce and Industry Branch of the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau is responsible for the formulation and coordination of policies and strategies in relation to Hong Kong's external commercial relations, inward investment promotion and intellectual property protection. It also oversees the development of policies and programmes for the industrial and trade sectors, as well as SMEs. The branch is assisted in its work by a number of departments, namely the Trade and Industry Department, the Invest Hong Kong, the Customs and Excise Department and the Intellectual Property Department. It is also supported by a network of Economic and Trade Offices outside Hong Kong.

Trade and Industry Department

The Trade and Industry Department is responsible for handling the HKSAR's commercial relations with its trading partners, implementing trade policies and agreements, including the issue of certificates of origin and export and import licences, as well as providing general support services for the industrial sector and SMEs.

The department has seven divisions. The Multilateral Division deals with the multilateral aspects of Hong Kong's external commercial relations, such as its participation in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Regional Cooperation Division coordinates Hong Kong's participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and is also responsible for multilateral matters relating to market access and government procurement.

The Americas Division, the Asia Division (which covers the Mainland) and the Europe Division (which covers Europe, Middle East and Africa) deal with bilateral commercial relations with the HKSAR's trading partners in their respective geographical areas. Their work includes the conduct of trade negotiations as well as the collection and dissemination of information on developments that may affect the HKSAR's external trade, especially those relating to trade policies and measures adopted in its major markets. In addition, the Americas Division is in charge of Hong Kong's strategic trade control system; it also handles matters relating to industrial support for the textile and clothing industry. The Asia Division is responsible for the planning and implementation of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) service and related computer systems for processing documents handled by the department, implementation of the rice control scheme, as well as the non-restrained textiles and non-textiles licensing and notification systems. The Europe Division is responsible for multilateral matters relating to anti-dumping, rules of origin, trade and competition, as well as trade and investment.

The Systems Division takes charge of the textiles export control system and the origin certification system, and coordinates the related policies.

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