HKSAR government to file complaint with WTO against U.S. tariff hikes

HONG KONG, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Friday that it will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the U.S. decision to impose an additional 10-percent tariff on products from Hong Kong.

The U.S. measures have seriously violated relevant WTO rules and ignored Hong Kong's status as a separate customs territory as stipulated in Article 116 of the Basic Law and recognized by the WTO, said a spokesperson for the HKSAR government.

The HKSAR government will launch procedures in accordance with the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism against the unreasonable measures to defend our legitimate rights, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson stressed that Hong Kong is a staunch supporter of the rules-based multilateral trading system. The HKSAR government strongly opposes the U.S. measures, and urges the U.S. side to immediately rectify its wrongdoings.