Amendments to control lists under Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance and Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations gazetted

     The Government published in the Gazette today (June 11) the Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2021 and the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 2) Order 2021 to amend the control lists of chemical weapons and strategic commodities.

      "As a responsible trading partner and an international trading hub, Hong Kong has been following closely the controls adopted by leading international regimes and convention of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The purpose of this technical amendment exercise is to reflect through the two Orders the changes to the control lists adopted by a number of international regimes and convention with respect to the technologies or items under control as well as the control thresholds", a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said.

     The control lists of chemical weapons and strategic commodities in Hong Kong mirror the control lists adopted by the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia Group, and the Chemical Weapons Convention (Note 1). The control lists are provided in the relevant schedules to the Chemical Weapons (Convention) Ordinance (Cap. 578) and the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Cap. 60G).

     The Orders will be tabled at the Legislative Council on June 16. The Government plans to bring the Orders into effect on August 25.

     The Trade and Industry Department will inform traders of the details of the amendments via a trade circular and through its website (www.stc.tid.gov.hk/eindex.html). Enquiries can be made to the Strategic Trade Controls Branch of the department by telephone at 2398 5587 or by email at stc@tid.gov.hk.
 
Note 1: The full name of the Chemical Weapons Convention is "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction".