Trade and Industry Bureau

In the past year, we have been working on 30 pledges, of which:

The following sets out the detailed report for each main programme area.

Trade Promotion

Year Pledge Present Position
Action Completed
1996 1. To advance Hong Kong's trading interests by pressing for further multilateral trade liberalisation at the first Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in December 1996. The WTO Conference was a success. Progress was made on further multilateral liberalisation.
1996 2. To present to Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) in November 1996 an action plan to liberalise Hong Kong's trade and investment regimes by 2010, in accordance with the Osaka Action Agenda adopted by APEC Economic Leaders in 1995. We presented an action plan to APEC in November 1996.
1996 3. To try to improve access for Hong Kong businesses to APEC markets by urging other APEC members to develop, in 1996-97, ambitious action plans for trade and investment liberalisation, in accordance with the Osaka Action Agenda. Every APEC member has made commitments in their action plans to reduce trade and investment barriers.
1995 4. To bring the Community Electronic Trading Service (CETS) into operation in 1996 to cover textile export licences and trade declarations. CETS brought into operation for textile export licences (1 January 97) and trade declarations (1 April 7).
On-going Commitments
1995 5. To continue to press the case for free trade in the continuing WTO multilateral negotiations to liberalise trade in services, and to seek the best possible market access for our service industries. We contributed significantly to the successful conclusion of the negotiations on basic communication. We also play an active role in the ongoing negotiations on financial services in the WTO, with the aim to achieving a successful conclusion of the negotiations in mid-December 1997.
1995 6. To extend the CETS to other documents. CETS to be extended to cover certificates of origin by July 1999.
1994 7. To monitor closely the implementation of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing concluded under the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations to ensure that Hong Kong textiles and clothing exports are treated equitably in overseas markets. We have participated actively in the Textiles Monitoring Body of the WTO and will continue to monitor the progress of the implementation of the Agreement.
1993 8. To lobby the US for unconditional annual renewal of China's Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status in the US. China retains its MFN status following the US House of Representatives' vote on the US President's decision to unconditionally renew China's MFN status for the year 1997-98. We will continue to fight for unconditional renewal of China's MFN status next year.


Support for the Industry

Year Pledge Present Position
Action Completed
1996 1. To provide support to the Hong Kong Productivity Council to help it establish a Software Industry Information Centre by early 1997 to improve access for local software developers to the latest information on business trends and new requirements in user industries. The Software Industry Information Centre was opened in January 1997. Seminars and mini-studies were conducted. Journals are issued twice per month.
Action in Progress: On Schedule
1996 2. To make available, in 1997, a further 46 hectares of land at the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate for operations which cannot be undertaken in multi-storey buildings. Land development work of the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate has completed. Utility installation works and processing of the land grant to the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation (HKIEC) are in progress.
1996 3. To support the HKIEC in planning for a fourth industrial estate to meet the continuing demand for special industrial land. The Corporation will need to complete the project by about 2004 when all the land in existing industrial estates is expected to be leased out. The HKIEC has agreed to site the fourth industrial estate at Tuen Mun Area 38 and will commission a detailed engineering feasibility study.
1996 4. To support the Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre Corporation (HKITCC) to complete the planning in 1997-98 of a second Industrial Technology Centre (ITC) to enhance facilities for the development of technology-based companies. An ex-military site in Kowloon Tong has been identified for the development of the second ITC. Rezoning of the site's land use will be submitted to the Metro Planning Committee in late 1997. A Building Committee has been set up by the HKITCC to undertake the planning and preparatory work for the project.
1996 5. To provide financial support through the Services Support Fund to projects which are beneficial to the competitiveness or further development of our service industries or the overall development of Hong Kong as a services centre. The first grant will be made in early 1997. The Fund was established in July 1996 with initial funding of $50 million. From the first two tranches of applications, 27 projects have been approved, with a total funding commitment of $50 million.
On-going Commitments
1996 6. To work out the institutional and financial arrangements for a Science Park to provide further technological support for Hong Kong's manufacturing industry and to help it move into higher technology and higher value-added production. The Planning Committee on Science Park is finalising its recommendations to the Government on the planning parameters for the establishment of a science park at Pak Shek Kok.
1996 7. To assist the private sector to introduce awards scheme for services in 1997 to recognise excellence in service quality, productivity and exports. A new award scheme, named as the Hong Kong Awards for Services, was announced in December 1996. A total of $4 million has been secured from the Services Support Fund and private sponsors to support the Scheme. Winners from the 102 entries will be announced in end 1997.
1996 8. To review our policies on industrial and technological development in the light of a study commissioned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Industrial Performance Centre to study our long-term industrial development prospects and identify promising new industries for Hong Kong. The Study has been completed and the final report "Made By Hong Kong" was published in May 1997. Consultation on the Study's findings and recommendations is in progress. Consolidated response has been submitted to the Industry and Technology Development Council for its consideration in September 1997. The policy review is on-going.


Protection of Intellectual Property Rights

Year Pledge Present Position
Action Completed
1996 1. To establish in 1997 designated contact points in Guangdong and Shenzhen to facilitate exchange of information and intelligence between the two sides to combat infringement of intellectual property rights. The Customs and Excise Department have established designated contact points with the enforcement authorities in the Guangdong and Shenzhen area; and are maintaining regular contacts with our enforcement counterparts in the Mainland to enhance the exchange of information and intelligence.
1996 2. To seek the assistance of Chinese authorities in 1997 in mounting joint anti-piracy operations. A series of parallel operations with Mainland authorities have been mounted against piracy activities across the boundary. Intelligence and assistance from the Mainland have helped Customs seize a shipment of illegitimate CD-production equipment destined across the boundary.
1996 3. To introduce a Copyright Bill in 1996-97 to update and localise legislation based on international standards. The Copyright Ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council on 24 June 1997 and came into operation on 27 June 1997.
1995 4. To improve the registry operations of the Intellectual Property Department at an annual recurrent cost of $3illion to allow computerised processing of applications for registration of trade marks, patents and designs in both English and Chinese. We have filled all the posts created for improving the registry operations. The Intellectual Property Department has improved the performance target for processing 70% of trademark applications from within 13 months to within 11 months. Bilingual processing of applications for registration of patents and designs started since July 1997.
1995 5. To strengthen further the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau of the Customs and Excise Department at an annual recurrent cost of $6illion to step up enforcement and prosecution action. We created 24 posts in November 1996 to strengthen the enforcement and prosecution action of the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau of the Customs and Excise Department
1995 6. To introduce a Registered Designs Bill by 1996-97 to update and localise legislation based on international standards. The Registered Designs Ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council on 4 June 1997 and came into operation on 27 June 1997.
Action in Progress: Behind Schedule
1995 7. To introduce a Trade Marks Bill in the 1995-96 session to update the legislation on the protection of trade marks to bring it into line with international standards. We issued a consultation paper and a draft Trade Marks Bill for public consultation in February 1997. We are consolidating the comments received before finalising the Bill for introduction into the Legislative Council in the 1998-99 session.
On-going Commitment
1996 8. To further promote public awareness of and respect for intellectual property rights in 1997. We have launched a visit programme to secondary schools to raise students' awareness of the importance of protection of intellectual property rights. The Intellectual Property Society, comprising prominent members of the community, was established in September 1996 with the assistance of the Intellectual Property Department.


Consumer Protection

Year Pledge Present Position
Action Completed
1996 1. To issue guidelines in 1997 to suppliers on arrangements for voluntary recall of unsafe toys, children's products and consumer goods. We issued the guidelines in July 1997 to suppliers on arranging voluntary recall of unsafe products.
1996 2. To conduct a review in 1997 on the existing regulatory mechanism for licensed travel agents so that it can be further strengthened. We have conducted a review on the existing regulatory mechanism and the Advisory Committee on Travel Agents has endorsed our findings. A number of improvement measures have been implemented to strengthen the regulatory mechanism for licensed travel agents.
1995 3. To grant $10 million to the Consumer Council to establish a Consumer Information Resource Centre to improve public education on consumer protection issues. Funding was earmarked. The Council was formally allowed the use of the site at Tsimshatsui in September 1997. Work is in progress to construct the Consumer Information Resource Centre.
1995 4. To require certain potentially unsafe consumer goods to carry a safety label in both English and Chinese and to set up a dedicated team in the Customs and Excise Department to enforce this requirement. The Regulations will come into force in April 1998. We have allocated additional funding to the Customs and Excise Department to establish a dedicated team to enforce the requirement.
1993 5. To publish a detailed response to each competition study by the Consumer Council within six months of its release. We published our response to the final sector-specific study on private residential property market in May 1997. This completes Government's response to the six sectoral studies. Please refer to item 1996-6 for the status of our response to the Consumer Council's overall competition report.
Action in Progress: On Schedule
1996 6. To consider in 1997 whether, and if so what, additional administrative and legislative measures are required to promote healthy competition in Hong Kong in the light of the findings of the competition studies undertaken by the Consumer Council. We have conducted a public consultation exercise and are reviewing the full implications of the Council's recommendations. We aim to issue Government's response within the last quarter of 1997.


Progress Report