Hong Kong Plans to File Complaint Against US at WTO

"Disregarding Hong Kong's Separate Customs Status from Mainland China"

The Hong Kong government announced plans to file a complaint against the United States with the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the imposition of tariffs.

Hong Kong's export gateway. Yonhap News

According to the AP News on the 7th, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong government stated, "The trade measures announced by the United States seriously violate WTO regulations," adding, "The U.S. has ignored the status of Hong Kong customs, which is separate from mainland China."

They continued, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will formally raise the issue through the WTO dispute settlement process in response to the U.S.'s unfair measures," and added, "Hong Kong strongly supports the multilateral trading system."

They also emphasized, "We urge the U.S. government to take immediate action to correct its mistakes."

Earlier, the Trump administration imposed an additional 10% tariff on imports from China, including those from Hong Kong, effective on the 4th, just two weeks after the administration began.

China immediately filed a complaint against the U.S. with the WTO and announced retaliatory measures to impose additional tariffs of 10-15% on certain U.S. imports such as coal and petroleum starting from the 10th.

Meanwhile, although the trade dispute between the U.S. and China is intensifying, there has been no news yet of a phone call between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping for negotiations.