Hong Kong’s Government Flying Service lands on new US commerce department blacklist

The service, one of 103 Chinese and Russian entities on list, oversees airborne firefighting and law enforcement operations, search and rescue missions

Opposition activists had previously accused the agency of assisting the Chinese coastguard in their interception of 12 Hong Kong fugitives

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Hong Kong’s Government Flying Service has been placed on a list of Chinese and Russian entities barred from accessing certain US technology. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 3:26pm, 22 Dec 2020Updated: 11:36pm, 22 Dec 2020

The US Department of Commerce has put Hong Kong’s Government Flying Service on a new blacklist of Chinese and Russian entities classified as “military end users”, a move expected to make it more difficult to purchase American technology.

Accused by opposition activists of assisting in the interception of 12 Hong Kong fugitives in August, the government agency is among 103 entities on the list, which was made available on Monday and will be formally placed on the US’ Federal Register on Tuesday.

Going forward, US companies will require a special licence to export, re-export or transfer a wide array of items to the blacklisted enterprises, according to the commerce department.

None of the aircraft currently used by the Government Flying Service are manufactured in the United States. Photo: Edward Wong

“The department recognises the importance of leveraging its partnerships with US and global companies to combat efforts by China and Russia to divert US technology for their destabilising military programmes, including by highlighting red flag indicators such as those related to Communist Chinese military companies identified by the Department of Defence,” US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

A spokesman for the flight service described the restrictions as baseless and accused the American government of “mere political manipulation”.

Hong Kong’s Government Flying Service lands on new US commerce department blacklist

The service, one of 103 Chinese and Russian entities on list, oversees airborne firefighting and law enforcement operations, search and rescue missions Opposition activists had previously accused the agency of assisting the Chinese coastguard in their interception of 12 Hong Kong fugitives

The service, one of 103 Chinese and Russian entities on list, oversees airborne firefighting and law enforcement operations, search and rescue missions

Opposition activists had previously accused the agency of assisting the Chinese coastguard in their interception of 12 Hong Kong fugitives