Commerce and Industry Branch

With effect from July 1, 2002, the Commerce and Industry Branch of the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau is responsible for the formulation and coordination of policies and strategies in relation to Hong Kong's external commercial relations, inward investment promotion and intellectual property protection. It also oversees the development of policies and programmes for the industrial and trade sectors, as well as SMEs. The branch is assisted in its work by a number of departments, namely the Trade and Industry Department, the Invest Hong Kong, the Customs and Excise Department and the Intellectual Property Department. It is also supported by a network of Economic and Trade Offices outside Hong Kong.

Trade and Industry Department

The Trade and Industry Department is responsible for handling the HKSAR's commercial relations with its trading partners, implementing trade policies and agreements, including the issue of certificates of origin and export and import licences, as well as providing general support services for the industrial sector and SMEs.

    The department has seven divisions. The Multilateral Division deals with the multilateral aspects of Hong Kong's external commercial relations, such as its participation in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Regional Cooperation Division coordinates Hong Kong's participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and is also responsible for multilateral matters relating to market access and government procurement.

    The Americas Division, the Asia Division (which covers the Mainland) and the Europe Division (which covers Europe, Middle East and Africa) deal with bilateral commercial relations with the HKSAR's trading partners in their respective geographical areas. Their work includes the conduct of trade negotiations as well as the collection and dissemination of information on developments that may affect the HKSAR's external trade, especially those relating to trade policies and measures adopted in its major markets. In addition, the Americas Division is in charge of Hong Kong's strategic trade control system; it also handles matters relating to industrial support for the textile and clothing industry. The Asia Division is responsible for the planning and implementation of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) service and related computer systems for processing documents handled by the department, implementation of the rice control scheme, as well as the non-restrained textiles and non-textiles licensing and notification systems. The Europe Division is responsible for multilateral matters relating to anti-dumping, rules of origin, trade and competition, as well as trade and investment.

    The Systems Division takes charge of the textiles export control system and the origin certification system, and coordinates the related policies.

    The Industrial Support Division provides general industrial support services as well as services specific to SMEs, including the SME funding schemes.

Invest Hong Kong

The Government is committed to promoting and enhancing the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a premier investment destination. Invest Hong Kong is a government department established on July 1, 2000 to spearhead Hong Kong's efforts to attract inward investment. Its Head Office in Hong Kong works closely with the Economic and Trade Offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia to offer solution-oriented investment promotion, facilitation and after-care services to ensure that foreign companies have the support required to establish or expand their operations in the HKSAR, the Mainland and the Asia-Pacific region. Invest Hong Kong also provides information to facilitate the making of informed investment decisions by investors in setting up regional headquarters and regional offices in Hong Kong.

    Invest Hong Kong adopts a proactive investment promotion strategy by focusing on economic sectors where Hong Kong has an edge over other cities. The targeted sectors are financial services, trade related services, transportation, telecommunications, media and multimedia, business and professional services, information technology, technology (especially electronics and biotechnology), and tourism and entertainment. In addition, Invest Hong Kong seeks to strengthen its after-care service with a view to retaining and expanding investments already made.

    From January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002, Invest Hong Kong assisted 117 foreign companies in completing 117 investment projects in Hong Kong. The total amount of investment generated exceeded $1.36 billion, and over 2 070 new jobs were created.

    During the year, Invest Hong Kong took part in two major international events to underline Hong Kong's advantages as an international financial and business centre, and to strengthen business links. It was the host sponsor of the 2002 Forbes Global CEO Conference held from September 24 to 26. Over 300 overseas, local and Mainland delegates, speakers and guests attended the conference.

    Invest Hong Kong also participated in the Transatlantic Race 2002 organised by the Challenge Business through the Spirit of Hong Kong, the same yacht which raced in the BT Global Challenge 2000–01. The event not only helped build up positive public relations and publicity for Hong Kong and Invest Hong Kong, but also brought in new investment.

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices seek to promote economic and trade interests by enhancing understanding of the HKSAR among opinion-formers; closely monitoring developments that might affect the HKSAR's economic and trading interests, such as proposed legislation; and liaising closely with the business and commercial sectors, politicians and the news media. They also organise events to promote Hong Kong's image. In addition, most of these offices seek to attract direct investment into Hong Kong.

    The offices are located in Brussels, Geneva, London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington and Guangdong.

    The Brussels Office represents Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in dealings with the European Union (EU). It also monitors and promotes bilateral relations with the EU and its member states except the United Kingdom.

    The Geneva Office represents Hong Kong, China, as a member of the WTO. It also represents Hong Kong as an observer on the Trade Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.

    The London Office promotes Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in the United Kingdom and non-EU countries including Switzerland, Norway, Central and Eastern European countries, Malta and Cyprus. It also accommodates Hong Kong's representative to the International Maritime Organisation.

    The offices in Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto are responsible for bilateral economic and trade relations in their host countries. The Sydney Office is also responsible for promoting Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in New Zealand. The Singapore Office is responsible for Hong Kong's commercial relations with the member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also serves as a direct point of contact with the Secretariats of APEC and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), which are located in Singapore.

    The Washington Office focuses on monitoring and liaising with the US Administration, Congress and think tanks on legislation and government policies that may have implications for Hong Kong's trade with the United States. The New York Office and the San Francisco Office are responsible for promoting economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and individual US states.

    The Guangdong Office, which came into service in July 2002, is situated in Guangzhou City. Its main duties are to promote trade and economic relationships between Hong Kong and Guangdong, and to provide better support services for Hong Kong businesses operating in Guangdong, especially the Pearl River Delta. It is also the first economic and trade office to be established in the Mainland.

Customs and Excise Department

The Customs and Excise Department is responsible for enforcing various trade control systems, including the certification of origin system, the textiles import and export control system, the strategic commodities control system and the import and export declaration system. These systems aim to protect and facilitate legitimate trade. The department is also responsible for enforcing the criminal law for the protection of copyright and trade marks, as well as enforcing consumer protection legislation relating to the safety of various commodities, the integrity of weights and measures, and the marking of precious metals. In addition, to ensure that Hong Kong has an adequate supply of rice, which is an essential foodstuff for the local population, at a reasonably stable price, the department monitors the local stock of rice.

Intellectual Property Department

The Intellectual Property Department runs the Trade Marks, Patents, Designs and Copyright Licensing Bodies Registries, advises on policy and legislation related to intellectual property protection, provides civil intellectual property legal advice to the Government, and promotes public awareness of and respect for intellectual property rights.