S/C/N/810  
 
27 July 2015  
(15-3836)  Page: 1/5  
Council for Trade in Services  Original: English  
 
 NOTIFICATION OF HONG KONG, CHINA’S PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO SERVICES  
AND SERVICE SUPPLIERS OF LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 
 
The following notification from the delegation of  Hong Kong, China, dated 24 July 2015, is being 
circulated to the Members of the Council for Trade in Services.  
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  The Permanent Mission of Hong Kong, China to the World Trade Organization in Geneva has the 
honour to notify the World Trade Organization Council for Trade in Services of the preferential 
treatment which Hong Kong, China will make available to services and service suppliers of least-developed countries in accordance with the decision made by Ministers at the WTO’s Eighth 
Ministerial Conference on Preferential Treatment to Services  and Service Suppliers of Least-
Developed Countries  (WT/L/847), and the decision made by Ministers at the WTO’s Ninth 
Ministerial Conference on Operationalization of the Waiver Concerning Preferential Treatment to 
Services and Service Suppliers of Least-Developed Countries (WT/L/918). 
 The preferential treatment is made available in se ctors and modes of supply that are of particular 
export interest to least-developed countries, as set out in The Collective Request Pursuant to the 
Bali Decision on the Operationalization of the Waiver Concerning Preferential Treatment to 
Services and Service Suppliers of Least Developed Countries (S/C/W/356).   
 
The preferential treatment will take effect from 1 August 2015, and is intended to be maintained 
for the period of the Waiver.    
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  S/C/N/810 
 
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  The following preferential treatment is made availa ble with respect to the application of measures 
described in Article XVI of the General Agreement on Trade in Services.  Unless otherwise stated, all CPC references correspond to the 1991 provisional Central Product 
Classification (CPC) of the Unit ed Nations Statistical Office.  
 
Business Services 
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access 
1. BUSINESS SERVICES 
A. Professional Services  
Urban planning and landscape architectural 
services (CPC 8674) 
 1) Unbound 
2) None 3) None 
4) Unbound  
 
B. Computer and Related Services (CPC 84)  
 1) None 
2) None 3) None 
4) Unbound except for intra-corporate 
transfers of general managers, senior managers and specialists under the conditions set out in the Attachment to this notification 
  
F. Other Business Services Placement and supply services of personnel 
(CPC 872) 
  
1) None 
2) None 3) None 
4) Unbound except for intra-corporate 
transfers of general managers, senior managers and specialists under the conditions set out in the Attachment to this notification 
 
Photographic services (CPC 875) 
 1) None 
2) None 
3) None 4) Unbound 
 
Packaging services (CPC 876) 1) Unbound 2) None 
3) None 4) Unbound  
Printing, publishing services (CPC 88442) 1) None 2) None 
3) None 
4) Unbound  
Translation and interpretation services 
(CPC 87905) 
 1) None 
2) None 
3) None 
4) Unbound  
Specialty design services (CPC 87907) 1) None 2) None 3) Unbound 
4) Unbound 
 
 S/C/N/810 
 
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  Tourism and Travel Related Services 
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access 
9. TOURISM AND TRAVEL RELATED 
SERVICES 
 
A. Hotels and Restaurants  
Other lodging services (CPC 64191, 64192, 
64194 and 64195) 
 1) Unbound 
2) None 
3) None 4) Unbound  
 
B. Travel Agencies and Tour Operator Services  
Travel agencies and tour operator services: 
these are limited to the business of obtaining 
for clients carriage and/or accommodation outside Hong Kong, China and the provision of related services such as the furnishing of 
travel information, advice and planning  (Part 
of CPC 7471)  1) None 
2) None 
3) None other than that only a company may operate tours and open branch offices
1 
4) Unbound 
 
 
Recreational, Cultural and Sporting Services 
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access 
10. RECREATIONAL, CULTURAL AND 
SPORTING SERVICES 
  
Entertainment Services  
(CPC 9619 except 96192, 96194, 96199) 1) None 
2) None 3) None 4) Unbound 
 
 
Transport Services 
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access 
11. TRANSPORT SERVICES 
 
A. Maritime Transport Services  
Maintenance and repair of vessels:   
these are limited to businesses related to 
maintenance and repair of ocean going vessels at anchor or alongside and maintenance and repair of local vessels 
 1) None 
2) None 
3) None 4) Unbound  
Maritime agency services: 
these are limited to activities consisting of 
representing, within a given geographic area, as an agent the business interest of one or 
more shipping lines or shipping companies for 
marketing and sales of maritime transport and related services and for acting on behalf of the companies organizing the call of the ship or 
taking over cargoes when required 1) None 
2) None 
3) None 4) Unbound  
                                               
1 "Company" means broadly a company incorporat ed in Hong Kong, China under the Companies 
Ordinance, or a company incorporated outside Hong Ko ng, China which establishes a place of business and 
registered as such in Hong Kong, China under the Companies Ordinance. S/C/N/810 
 
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  Sector or subsector Limitations on market access 
Maritime freight forwarding services: 
these are limited to the activities consisting of 
organising and monitoring shipment 
operations on behalf of shippers, through the 
acquisition of transport and related services, preparation of documentation and provision of business information 1) None 
2) None 3) None 
4) Unbound 
 
 
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 S/C/N/810 
 
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  ATTACHMENT ON "PRESENCE OF NATURAL PERSONS" 
 
 1.   Definition  
a. General manager means the chief executive officer or equivalent who leads and directs 
an establishment in Hong Kong, China of a service supplier of a Member and who is personally responsible for the overall perfor mance of the establishment in Hong Kong, 
China. 
b. Senior manager means a person who directs the establishment in Hong Kong, China of a 
s e r v i c e  s u p p l i e r  o f  a  M e m b e r  o r  a  d e p a r t m e n t  o f  t h a t  e s t a b l i s h m e n t .   S u c h  a  p e r s o n  would normally supervise and control the work  of other supervisory, professional or 
managerial employees in Hong Kong, China, have the authority to hire and fire or 
recommend hiring, firing, or other perso nnel actions (such as promotion or leave 
authorization) in Hong Kong, China, exercise discretionary authority over day-to-day 
operations in Hong Kong, China, and be personally responsible to the general manager 
for the performance of a major part of the es tablishment in Hong Kong, China.  The term 
'senior manager' does not include first-line supervisors, unless the employees supervised 
are professional, nor does it include employees who primarily perform tasks necessary 
for the production of the service. 
c. Specialist means a person within an establishment of a service supplier of a Member who 
possesses knowledge at an advance level of expertise, possesses proprietary knowledge 
of the organization's service, research eq uipment, techniques, or management and who 
is essential to the operation of the establishment of that service supplier in Hong Kong, China. 
2.   Natural persons seeking entry are required  
a. to be employees who have been in the prio r employ of the concerned service supplier 
which sponsors their entry into Hong Kong, China for a period of not less than one year 
immediately preceding the date of application for admission; and 
b. during their stay in Hong Kong, China, except with the prior approval of the Government 
of Hong Kong, China, not to change employment or employers. 
3.   Only natural persons of a service supplier of a Member which have a bona fide business 
establishment operating in Hong Kong, China will be considered for intra-corporate transfers.  The 
number of natural persons who may seek entry is required to be reasonable having regard to the size and the nature of the business operation of the relevant establishment in Hong Kong, China. 
4.   Presence of such natural persons is limit ed to entry and temporary stay.  Temporary stay 
implies that the appropriate prior authority will have been applied for and obtained before departure for Hong Kong, China.  For general managers, senior managers and specialists, 
temporary stay will be limited to one year in the first instance (which may be extended up to a 
total of five years). 
 
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