HK May Ask WTO To Intervene On 'made In China' Label

The Hong Kong government says it's considering taking action under the rules of the World Trade Organisation in an attempt to prevent the United States from labelling goods from the SAR as 'made in China'.

Washington issued a notice earlier on Tuesday saying that Hong Kong-made products imported to the United States would have to carry "made in China" labels, after US President Donald Trump pledged to end the SAR's special treatment.

A Hong Kong government spokesman said: "The new rule on origin marking of Hong Kong products originates from the US President's Executive Order issued on July 14 and reflects that the US ignores Hong Kong's status as a separate member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

"The rule may not be consistent with WTO rules, and it will also not help protect consumers' interest. In fact, it will only cause confusion and affect the interests of all parties, including the US."

The spokesman added that Hong Kong's status as a separate customs territory was conferred by China's constitution and recognised by multilateral organisations such as the WTO and "is not granted or revocable by an individual country".

The government said it was clarifying "certain important implementation details" with the US authorities and would "carefully consider" whether the change contravenes WTO rules. It did not rule out taking action under WTO rules to "protect Hong Kong's interests".