ENG-2009 — Page 165

Commerce and Industry 113

Trade Documentation

As a free port, the HKSAR maintains optimal import and export documentation requirements to facilitate legitimate trade. Most products do not need licences to enter or leave Hong Kong. Licences are only required if the HKSAR needs to fulfil its international obligations, protect public health, safety, environment, or intellectual property rights, or ensure Hong Kong's continued access to advanced technologies and hi-tech products.

The HKSAR also maintains an origin certification system to facilitate its exports to overseas markets.

Road Cargo System

Hong Kong enacted subsidiary legislation in 2009 to pave the way for the inception of the Road Cargo System (ROCARS), an electronic platform developed to facilitate customs clearance of road cargoes. The regulation prescribes details of the system for mandatory advance electronic submission of cargo information, and sets a fixed transitional period of 18 months before ROCARS submissions are made mandatory.

When ROCARS is in place in 2010, all cross-boundary trucks using the system, except those selected for inspection, will enjoy seamless customs clearance at the land boundary. It also provides added room for the Customs and Excise Department to facilitate the passage of trans-shipment cargoes which involve inter-modal transfer (e.g. from land to air or sea).

Government Electronic Trading Services

To maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international trading centre, in 1997 the Government launched the Government Electronic Trading Services system to provide a platform for the trading community to submit certain trade related documents electronically, thereby discharging their statutory obligations in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. In 2009, the transaction volume was about 20.3 million.

The Government has appointed three service providers to provide the services from 2010. The appointment of a third service provider in addition to the original two, has given users a wider choice and brought added room for healthy competition in the market. Enhancement measures have also been introduced to reduce traders' data input efforts. These include harmonisation of the data format of import and export declarations as well as the document for the Road Cargo System, and the provision of a data inheritance function between these two documents.

Trade and Industrial Support Organisations

Hong Kong Trade Development Council

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC), a statutory body established in 1966, is responsible for promoting and developing Hong Kong's external trade in goods and services. With its global network of more than 40 offices, including 11 in

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114 | Commerce and Industry