By Kimberley Kao

Hong Kong will file a complaint against the U.S.'s additional 10% tariff with the World Trade Organization, claiming the levies violate WTO rules.

In a statement released Friday, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government described the tariffs as "unreasonable measures" and "grossly inconsistent with the relevant WTO rules."

The U.S. measures "ignore our status as a separate customs territory as stipulated in Article 116 of the Basic Law," and recognized by the WTO, the spokesman said. Hong Kong "will formally launch procedures in accordance with the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism... to defend our legitimate rights," the spokesman added.

The government "strongly opposes the U.S. measures and urges the U.S. to take immediate actions to rectify its wrongdoing," the spokesman said.

On Saturday, the Trump administration imposed 10% tariffs on both China and Hong Kong, which is considered a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. Doing business in Hong Kong is legally distinct from mainland China.

​Hongkong Post announced Thursday that it will continue to suspend the acceptance of postal items containing goods destined for the U.S. until further notice. This follows the U.S. Postal Service's initial announcement that it will temporarily stop accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong, a stance it retracted a day later.

The spokesman for the government said that Hongkong Post has been in communication with the U.S. Postal Service, but several matters, including the issue of tariffs, still need "further clarification."

Write to Kimberley Kao at kimberley.kao@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 07, 2025 04:53 ET (09:53 GMT)

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