Background

Hong Kong's control list for strategic commodities, as set out in Schedule 1 to the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations ("the Regulations"), mirrors those of the international non-proliferation regimes (viz. the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, etc.). The control list is under regular review and, where appropriate, is amended to reflect the latest revisions adopted by the regimes in their respective control lists.

The Amendment

2. Hong Kong's current control list, which was last amended in February 2009, covers the revisions adopted by the various international non-proliferation regimes up to end-2007. Since then, some of these regimes have introduced a number of revisions to their respective control lists. To reflect the latest international control standards in Hong Kong's control list, the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2009 ("the Order") has been prepared.
   
   
3. The Order seeks to amend Schedule 1 to the Regulations to reflect the revisions adopted by the international non-proliferation regimes up to end-2008. The most significant changes include:
   
   
   1. the relaxation of control over certain wireless personal area network equipment devices with published or commercial cryptographic standard (including certain wireless routers and wireless printers, etc.); and
      
      
   2. the removal of control over certain field programmable logic devices (including certain high-technology integrated circuits with memory function).
      
      
4. A summary of the major revisions covered by the Order is at Annex (pdf format). For full details of the amendments, please refer to the Order by visiting the websites of the Strategic Commodities Control System (http://www.stc.tid.gov.hk) or the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (http://www.gov.hk) [Legal Supplement No. 2 of the Gazette published on 13 November 2009 (No. 46, Vol 13)].
   

Effective Date of the Order

5. The Order was gazetted today (i.e. 13 November 2009) and will be tabled at the Legislative Council on 18 November 09. Once the legal procedure is completed, the Order will come into effect on a day to be appointed by the Director-General of Trade and Industry by a notice published in the Gazette. A separate circular will be issued in due course to inform traders of the effective date of the Order.

Enquiry

6. For any enquiry about the revisions brought about by the Order, please contact our Classification Section at 2398 5587. For other licensing matters, please contact our Licensing Section at 2398 5575.

Yours faithfully,

(Toby MAK)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry