August 11, 2020

U.S. to Label Hong Kong’s Goods as “Made in China”

The U.S. will order imports from Hong Kong to be labelled as “Made in China” according to a government document, in the latest escalation of trade tensions between the two nations.

The notice, published in the U.S. Federal Register, says that goods produced in Hong Kong and imported into the U.S. must be marked to indicate their origin is China. Importers have been granted a transition period until September 25, 2020 to implement marking consistent with this position.

The change was made because of President Trump’s July executive order ending Hong Kong’s special status with the U.S. “due to the determination that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to China,” the notice said.

Hong Kong’s government protested the announcement, which it said ignored Hong Kong’s “unique role” as a member of the World Trade Organization. The city’s government will discuss the decision with the U.S. via its office in Washington D.C., according to its statement , and didn’t rule out taking action against the U.S. decision.

(Source: Bloomberg)