Hong Kong exports to US will avoid punitive tariffs, but city minister slams ‘Made-in-China’ relabelling as ‘telling a lie’
- Washington issues a clarification, continuing the exemption for Hong Kong goods from the harsh levies imposed on mainland China
- But city exporters must relabel products ‘Made in China’, leading to concerns Hong Kong brands will be damaged
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Hong Kong rejects US rule for ‘Made in China’ labels
Hong Kong exports to the United States will still be free of punitive tariffs, according to official Washington guidance, but the city’s commerce minister has blasted the requirement for local brands to relabel their products as “Made in China”, saying it would force traders to “tell a lie”.
That effectively means the punishing tariffs the US has imposed on exports from mainland China during the escalating trade war between the world’s two superpowers will not apply to Hong Kong goods.
However, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said on Thursday the US clarification caused confusion, and there had been no changes yet in customs procedures.
Can a Canadian product be named as US-made or Mexican-made? It defies common sense
“It is an attempt to impose an origin marking on Hong Kong products, basically asking Hong Kong traders to tell a lie,” he said. “We have to call a spade a spade. How can made-in-Hong Kong products be labelled as from some other place? To put it simply, can a Canadian product be named as US-made or Mexican-made? It defies common sense.”