HKSAR to challenge U.S. tariffs at WTO

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced on Friday that it will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the U.S. decision to impose additional 10-percent tariffs on products from Hong Kong.

The U.S. measures have seriously violated relevant WTO rules and disregarded Hong Kong's status as a separate customs territory, as stipulated in Article 116 of the Basic Law and recognized by the WTO, said a spokesperson for the HKSAR government.

The HKSAR government will initiate procedures in accordance with the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism to challenge the unreasonable measures and defend its legitimate rights, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson stressed that Hong Kong is a staunch supporter of the rules-based multilateral trading system. The HKSAR government strongly opposes the U.S. measures and urges the U.S. to immediately rectify its wrongdoings.