The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government strongly opposes the United States authorities’ imposition of port fees on vessels owned, operated, or built by Chinese companies and other relevant measures.
A spokesperson for the HKSAR government said, “The US measures are blatantly discriminatory, deliberately dividing the international maritime community and undermining the spirit of solidarity and cooperation built over the years. Such actions fall short of the basic standards of international conduct.”
The HKSAR government condemns such bullying acts, the spokesperson said. Hong Kong will continue to uphold the spirit of openness and cooperation, working with global maritime partners to safeguard free-trade principles and promote the healthy development of the international shipping industry, the spokesperson added.
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Only by adhering to fairness and justice, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation can the common interests of the global maritime community be protected, the spokesperson said.
Hong Kong will not yield to the US government’s bullying and unjustified tariffs, but instead will firmly face challenges and seize opportunities while safeguarding the special administrative region’s interests and overall national security, a seminar of local delegates to the nation’s top legislature and political advisory body heard.
About 100 Hong Kong deputies to the National People’s Congress and members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee took part in the seminar, organized by the special administrative region government at its headquarters on Thursday.
Participants discussed risks posed by the US’ “bullying and barbaric actions”, calling for all sectors to analyze changes and seize opportunities in the new international trade order.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that the so-called reciprocal US tariffs violated World Trade Organization norms and defied logic with the 145 percent tariffs that Washington slapped on Hong Kong, which is a free port with zero tariffs for US imports.
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Hong Kong should “grasp the emerging new order, explore new trade frontiers, safeguard economic security, and promote economic upgrading and transformation”, he said.
On Friday, the first day of the Easter holiday, more than 1 million people had crossed border by the evening, including over 700,000 Hong Kong residents leaving the city, according to SAR Immigration Department data.
The Hong Kong Customs College Open Day took place on Friday to mark National Security Education Day and allow the public to learn about the department’s work on safeguarding national security from multiple perspectives.
