4. Trade Facilitation

Whilst the department has diverted immense efforts on anti-smuggling, trade facilitation continued to take the highest priority for greater contribution to the development of Hong Kong into a regional transportation and logistics hub in Asia. The department has constantly enhanced its facilities and streamlined procedures in a bid to enhance clearance efficiency and smoothen passenger and cargo flows.

Unified Road Cargo Manifest

The unified road cargo manifest, paper-based road cargo manifest mutually acceptable to the department and the Mainland Customs was formally implemented in January 2005 after the success of the trial in 2004,  The manifest system is for the convenience of cross-boundary transportation industry and cross-boundary truck drivers as members of the industry were only required to complete one set of manifest for submission to both Hong Kong and Mainland Customs for clearance. . Currently (September 2006), about 86.3 per cent of cross-boundary trucks submitted unified road cargo manifest to the department.

Four Additional Southbound “One-stop” Private Car Kiosks at Lok Ma Chau Control Point

Following the successful introduction of four new “One-stop” private car kiosks at the northbound direction of the Lok Ma Chau Control Point on 12 October 2004, four similar kiosks were added to the southbound direction and commenced operation on 8 September 2005. These additional kiosks helped improve traffic flow at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point.

Extension of Operating Hours at China Ferry Unit

Since 5 February 2005, the operating hours of the China Ferry Terminal have been extended from 7:00 am – 10:00 pm to 7:00 am – 2:00 am on every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday for providing additional ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau. The duty hours of the China Ferry Unit have also been extended accordingly to provide Customs clearance service during the extended period.

Release Goods Before Duty Payment (RGBDP) Scheme

The Hong Kong Customs and the Federal Express Pacific, Inc. (FedEx) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the “Release Goods Before Duty Payment (RGBDP) Scheme” on 30 November 2005. As a trade facilitation initiative, the RGBDP Scheme aims to streamline the duty payment formalities and shorten the clearance time for dutiable goods. It also enhances air cargo clearance efficiency and establishes a closer partnership with the industry.

Under the Scheme, participating cargo operators importing dutiable goods to Hong Kong will first furnish a security bond to the department. Upon receipt of a general demand note on the duty amount issued by the department, the cargo operator can remove the imported dutiable goods. Duty payment can be settled within two working days through various means, such as on the Internet.

The FedEx is the third company joining the RGBDP Scheme after DHL Aviation (Hong Kong) Ltd. and TNT Express Worldwide (HK) Ltd. signed similar MOU with the department when the scheme was first launched in June 2004. The participants value the Scheme for its convenience and flexibility.

Sea Cargo Appointment Website

To enhance cargo clearance services for the sea cargo industry, an additional means has been introduced by the department since May 2006 for making appointment for cargo examination by adopting an electronic platform accessible via the Internet.