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Following is a speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs Rita Lau, today (June 10) at the opening ceremony of the Regional Workshop for Customs Authorities in Asia on Technical Aspects of the Transfers Regime of the Chemical Weapons Convention:
Ambassador (Rogelio) Pfirter, Deputy Director General Wu (Hai-tao), ladies and gentlemen:
Opening
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Good morning.
It gives me great pleasure to join you today at the opening ceremony of the Regional Workshop for Customs Authorities in Asia on Technical Aspects of the Transfers Regime of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) co-hosted by the Central People¡¯s Government of China and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). For those of you who have travelled long distances to attend this workshop, a very warm welcome to Hong Kong.
Chemical trade in Hong Kong
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The trading activities in relation to the controlled chemicals covered in the Schedules to the CWC (the scheduled chemicals) have been minimal in Hong Kong. Last year, the total trade volume for all chemical products through Hong Kong was around US$38 billion in value. Among them, the total trade in the scheduled chemicals amounted to only US$330,000 in value, and mainly involved imports for local research or industrial purposes.
The chemical industry in Hong Kong is also small in size, involving about 400 establishments employing around 5,000 people. Our plants do not produce any scheduled chemicals, they engage mainly in the processing and mixing of various types of imported chemicals for commercial applications, including pharmaceuticals, plastics, cosmetics, toiletries and pesticides.
Hong Kong¡¯s role in the implementation of the CWC
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Although Hong Kong does not have a significant chemical industry, this workshop has not come to the wrong place. Hong Kong is an important international trading hub in the region. According to the World Trade Organization¡¯s statistics, we are the 13th largest trading entity in the world in terms of merchandise trade.
Therefore, despite our minimal trading and manufacturing activities in relation to sensitive chemicals, Hong Kong, being a responsible player in international trade, attaches great importance to the implementation of the CWC and we spare no efforts in preventing Hong Kong from being used as the conduit for the proliferation of chemical weapons and related materials.
Hong Kong¡¯s control system on chemicals
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The Central People¡¯s Government has extended the application of the CWC to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) under the Basic Law. Hong Kong¡¯s controls on chemicals fully comply with the CWC requirements. The HKSAR implements the CWC requirements through our own legislation and control system under the principle of ¡°One Country, Two Systems¡± enshrined in the Basic Law.
Our Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance commenced operation in June 2004. This over-arching ordinance prohibits the use, development and possession of chemical weapons in Hong Kong and enables the operations of our various control and monitoring measures pertinent to the scheduled chemicals and other chemicals of concern to the CWC. It also empowers our Trade and Industry Department to implement a Permit and Notification System to regulate and monitor activities involving these chemicals. Under the system, a chemical facility engaging in specified activities involving these chemicals are required to lodge notifications for their activities and apply for permits if scheduled chemicals are involved.
Moreover, all the scheduled chemicals are strategic commodities under the scope of our Import and Export Ordinance, which maintains very stringent licensing controls over their imports, exports, re-exports and transshipments. That is, all of them require licences approved by the Director-General of Trade and Industry prior to their shipments.
Our Customs and Excise Department vigorously enforces the Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance through cargo examinations, inspections and out-reaching visits to facilities dealing with chemical business to ensure that our businesses fully understand and comply with the CWC. The Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance, which provides for a maximum penalty of life imprisonment against illegal activities in relation to chemical weapons, provides the Customs and Excise Department with all the necessary enforcement powers to inspect facilities subject to the Permit and Notification System, investigate suspected offences, prosecute offenders and assist inspection teams of the OPCW in conducting inspections to selected facilities in Hong Kong as necessary.
Since the implementation of the Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance in mid-2004, our Customs and Excise Department has conducted more than 400 inspections and verifications of declarations submitted by the facilities each year.
Hong Kong¡¯s participation in CWC Activities
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To fulfil our obligations under the CWC, the HKSAR submits regular annual declarations to the OPCW and actively participates in CWC activities through the Central People¡¯s Government. For example, our Trade and Industry Department and Customs and Excise Department participated, as part of the Chinese delegation, in the annual sessions of the Conference of the States Parties to the CWC in 2007 and 2008 to report on the implementation of the CWC in Hong Kong.
The organisation of this workshop in Hong Kong is another example of our support to the work of the CWC. It also signifies the confidence placed by the international community on our control system.
Concluding remarks
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The HKSAR Government will strive to uphold the integrity of our control system and will continue with our efforts in preventing the proliferation of chemical weapons.
With all the leading experts in the field from the region, I am sure that all of you will find this workshop an invaluable platform to share experience and further regional co-operation. I wish the workshop a great success and all of you a very enjoyable stay in Hong Kong.
Thank you.
Ends/Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:34
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