Starting from 1 April 2024, the scope of service of the Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme (FTA Scheme) will be extended to cover transhipment cargo from the Mainland of China to Singapore via Hong Kong.
Under the new arrangement, traders in Hong Kong can apply for Certificates of Non-manipulation for cargoes transhipped from the Mainland of China through Hong Kong to Singapore, thereby enjoying preferential tariff provided under the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Co-operation between the Association of South East Asian Nations and the People's Republic of China (ASEAN-China FTA), the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (China-Singapore FTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). For details, please refer to the principle of application.
Upon the extension, the service of the FTA Scheme covers the following transhipment cargoes in Hong Kong under trade agreements entered between the Mainland of China and other countries / region:
Transhipment cargoes in Hong Kong heading for the Mainland of China from the following places:
Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Iceland, Switzerland, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Georgia, Japan, Mauritius, Nicaragua and the beneficiary countries under the Special Preferential Tariff Treatment to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)(Note 1).
Note 1: The beneficiary countries under the Special Preferential Tariff Treatment to the LDCs include Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda , Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen and Zambia.
Transhipment cargoes in Hong Kong heading for the following places from the Mainland of China:
Taiwan, Korea(Note 2), Singapore(Note 3) and Australia.
Note 2: Korea Customs Service accepts traders to use the Certificate of Non-manipulation issued by Hong Kong Customs to apply for preferential tariff under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, the China-Korea Free Trade Agreement or the RCEP.
Note 3: Singapore Customs accepts traders to use the Certificate of Non-manipulation issued by Hong Kong Customs to apply for preferential tariff under the ASEAN-China FTA, the China-Singapore FTA or the RCEP.
For details of the FTA Scheme, please refer to the following documents:
Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme (FTA Scheme) Briefing Notes
Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme (FTA Scheme) Leaflet
For enquiries, please contact the Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Unit of Hong Kong Customs at 3152 0233 or email to fta_enquiry@customs.gov.hk.