Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Gregory So welcomed Association of Southeast Asian Nations representatives to Hong Kong today for the first round of negotiation on the Free Trade Agreement between the city and ASEAN.
Representatives from 10 ASEAN member states met Hong Kong officials, marking the formal start of the negotiation.
Mr So called for a smooth negotiation process to achieve a fruitful outcome.
"ASEAN is an important trading partner of Hong Kong. An FTA between Hong Kong and ASEAN will boost the economic growth of the two sides, and at the same time further enhance Hong Kong's role as a regional trading hub, and as a gateway for trade and investment between ASEAN and the Mainland.
"The commencement of Hong Kong-ASEAN FTA negotiation marks a significant milestone of Hong Kong's participation in regional economic integration."
The agreement negotiation covers tariff elimination or reduction, rules of origin, liberalisation of trade in services, investment liberalisation, promotion and protection, and co-operation in intellectual property.
