Participation in International and Regional Standards Fora

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), established in 1989, is a regional economic forum consisted of 21 members which aim to create greater prosperity of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.

The APEC SCSC was established in 1994 to help reduce the negative effects that differing standards and conformance arrangements have on trade and investment flows in the Asia-Pacific Region. In this way, the SCSC assists to achieve APEC's trade and investment liberalization and facilitation agenda. Further information of APEC SCSC can be viewed here.

ITC participates in the APEC SCSC Meetings and coordinates among bureaux and departments of the Government to take part in the related projects and events of APEC.

 

The ISO, a non-governmental organisation, is a federation of the standards bodies of about 165 economies from all regions of the world and we have been participating in ISO as a correspondent member. Further information of ISO can be viewed here.

ITC attends the ISO annual General Assembly, participates in standardisation activities of the ISO, such as the annual World Standards Day, and nominates interested representatives from different industry, research institutes, tertiary institutions, professional bodies, trade and industrial organisations and other government departments, to participate in ISO Technical Committees (TC) to take part in the development work of international standards.

Participation in the development of international standards

The ISO TC together with their sub-committees (SC) and working groups (WG) are responsible for developing ISO standards. In these committees, representatives of industries, research institutes, government authorities, consumer bodies and international organisations all over the world come together as equal partners in the resolution of global standards problems.

Supporting innovation and research and development has been a key focus of the Government. We encourage interested parties to participate actively and constructively in the development of international standards as ISO expert observers which plays a significant role in innovation and research and development work, in particular in areas of emerging technology.

Benefits of participating in development of international standards

• keep abreast of the latest development in international standards and related activities
• have access to technical information and intelligence not available elsewhere
• communicate and network with peers in the industry and standards bodies
• gain invaluable knowledge about future directions of industry that affect customer preferences and market access
• influence the development of the standards that directly affect their business

ITC assists in the nomination of ISO expert observers to take part in the TC and related meetings in their personal capacity. Expert observers of correspondent members have the right to attend meetings and make contribution through offering views and suggestions. The major limitation is that expert observers have no right to vote at the committees. Parties interested in joining ISO TC/SC are welcome to express their interest with ITC.

There are numerous TC/SC/WG in ISO looking after different standards at different levels. For details about TC, please click here. For information on TC meetings, please click here.

 

PASC is a voluntary, independent organization of Pacific area national standards organizations, created in 1972 to improve the quality of standardization in the region, support free trade, engage stakeholders (industry, consumers, government) and promote the efficient participation of its members in the international standardization system.

ITC participates in its annual meetings as a full member and coordinates among bureaux and departments of the Government to take part in the related surveys and events. Further information of PASC can be viewed here.

 

Hong Kong, China is a signatory to the WTO TBT Agreement. Under the agreement, ITC acts as Hong Kong, China's Notification and Enquiry Point.

The TBT Agreement is an integral part of the WTO Agreement. It aims to ensure that TBT measures, i.e. technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures are non-discriminatory and do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade. At the same time, it recognises WTO members' right to implement measures to achieve legitimate policy objectives, such as the protection of human health and safety, or protection of the environment. The TBT Agreement encourages members to base their measures on international standards as a means to facilitate trade. Through its transparency provisions, it also aims to create a predictable trading environment. Further information of WTO TBT Agreement can be viewed here

Our role as the notification point

The TBT Agreement's transparency provisions contain notification obligations for TBT measures and require every Member to designate a single government authority to be responsible for all notification procedural issues. As Hong Kong, China's Notification Point, ITC is responsible for implementing related notification procedures.

Draft TBT measures by any Members should be notified to the WTO Secretariat 60 days prior to their formal adoption so as to allow time for other Members to make comments. If urgent problems of protection of human health and safety, or protection of the environment emerge, measures can be notified with a shorter lead time. ITC works with other bureaux and departments of the Government to submit notifications where necessary in accordance with WTO procedures, and to handle notifications lodged by other Members on their measures which might have an impact on us.

The WTO offers a free notification service open to all. Please click here to register.

Our role as the enquiry point

The transparency provisions also contain obligations relating to the provision of information among Members on TBT measures for transparency and information exchange and mandates Members to create enquiry points. As Hong Kong, China's Enquiry Point under the Agreement, ITC handles enquiries from other WTO Members concerning our notifications and acts as the contact point where other WTO Members can obtain information and documentation on our TBT measures and related information within the scope of the Agreement. Assistance from relevant government bureaux and departments will be sought to answer the enquiries where appropriate.