Mr. Yau Advocates Sustainable Supply Chains at APEC Trade Meeting in Jeju

SCED: Hong Kong committed to driving progress towards shared prosperity through sustainable trade

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, continued attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in Jeju, Korea, today (May 16).

Speaking at the session entitled "Prosperity through Sustainable Trade", Mr Yau said that supply chains are the drivingengines for today's global economy, yet they are also highly sensitive and vulnerable to external shocks.

He depicted that Hong Kong, as an international shipping and logistics hub, has been implementing various measures such as Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 and the roadmap on sustainability disclosure in Hong Kong to support sustainable supply chains.

"In parallel, enabling initiatives have been rolled out to equip micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with the means to manage their environmental footprint and encourage market participants to improve sustainable business practices. Funding schemes and capacity-building programmes have also been put in place to encourage the adoption of digital technologies by MSMEs to facilitate the digital transformation of supply chains," Mr Yau said.

Mr Yau stressed that the issue of supply chains has always been an integral part of APEC discussions, and APEC's role becomes even more important now than ever, when cross-border trade and investments and supply chains face uncertainty and unprecedented challenges.

Mr Yau said he believed that the collective goal of strengthening sustainable supply chains should never be a trade-off between sustainability and trade, but rather a synergy between the two. Hong Kong is committed to working with all member economies to drive progress towards shared prosperity through sustainable trade.

On the sidelines of the MRT Meeting, Mr Yau held a bilateral meeting with State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Mr Ogushi Masaki to exchange views on various trade and economic issues.

The two-day MRT Meeting concluded. Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong tomorrow morning (May 17).

SCED: Hong Kong committed to driving progress towards shared prosperity through sustainable trade Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCED: Hong Kong committed to driving progress towards shared prosperity through sustainable trade Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming passenger was sentenced to 29 days of imprisonment by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (May 23) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted the incoming 58-year-old male passenger at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point yesterday (May 22) and seized 1 981 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes from him. The estimated market value of the seized cigarettes was about $8,100, and the duty potential was about $6,500. He was subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence, noting that even a first-time offender may still be imprisoned. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences. Members of the public should not defy the law.

Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases