Hong Kong Customs extended the scope of service of the Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme (FTA Scheme) to cover transhipment cargoes from the Mainland of China to Vietnam and Nicaragua via Hong Kong, and from Serbia via Hong Kong to the Mainland of China on 1 September 2024.
Upon the extension, local traders can apply to Hong Kong Customs for a Certificate of Non-manipulation for the purpose of claiming a preferential tariff 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) or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), the China-Nicaragua Free Trade Agreement, and the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement, for cargoes from the Mainland transshipped to Vietnam and Nicaragua via Hong Kong, and those from Serbia transshipped to the Mainland of China via Hong Kong. For details, please refer to the principle of application.
The service of the FTA Scheme currently 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, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Chile, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Costa Rica, Iceland, Switzerland, Korea, Australia, Georgia, Mauritius, Japan, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Serbia 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), Vietnam(Note 4), Nicaragua 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.
Note 4: Vietnam 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 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.