China-US trade truce won't stop Hong Kong from filing WTO complaint: John Lee
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has said the city will proceed with filing a complaint about US punitive tariffs to the World Trade Organization (WTO) despite the truce between Washington and Beijing.
The city's business sector is also gearing up to take advantage of the 90-day tariff suspension window to front-load their shipments and productions, as economists see the temporary deal more as an effort to buy time ahead of the resumption of the trade war.
Lee, who is leading a delegation to visit the Middle East to explore new markets, emphasised Hong Kong's status as a 'free port' and criticised the US for violating the WTO's rules by imposing so-called reciprocal tariffs on the city.
'As a separate customs territory, Hong Kong has its own tariff policies. We will continue to file complaints with the WTO,' said the city's chief executive.
Under the temporary deal between Beijing and Washington, both sides agreed to roll back most of their recent tariffs for 90 days.
Specifically, the US will cut tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 per cent from 145 per cent, while China will roll back duties on American goods to 10 per cent from 125 per cent, effective from Wednesday.
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