. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/LIC/N/2/HKG/4 
18 September 2009 
 (09-4392) 
Committee on Import Licensing Original:   English 
 
  
 
AGREEMENT ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES 
 
Notification u nder Article 5 
 
 
HONG KONG, CHINA 
 
  The following communication, dated 9 September 2009, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Hong Kong, China. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
 Pursuant to Article 5 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, Hong Kong, China 
hereby notifies that a new licensing control for th e import of proprietary Chinese medicines and 36 
Chinese herbal medicines  into the Hong Kong Special Administ rative Region has been introduced 
with the following details:  
 (a) List of products subject to licensing procedures
 
 
Any article specified in Sections 2A, 2B and 2C  of Part I of the First Schedule of the Import 
and Export (General) Regulations, Cap. 60A, wh ich are listed below, are subject to import 
licensing procedures: 
 - 31 Chinese herbal medicines specified in  Schedule 1 of the Chinese Medicine 
Ordinance (Cap 549)  
 
- 5 Chinese herbal medicines specified in Schedule 2 of the Chinese Medicine 
Ordinance (Cap 549), namely, Flos Camp sis, Processed Radix Aconiti, Processed 
Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii, Radix Clematidis and Radix Gentianae 
 
- Proprietary Chinese medicines as defined in Section 2 of the Chinese Medicine 
Ordinance (Cap 549) 
 
(b) Contact point for information on eligibility
 
 
(i) For proprietary Chinese medicines : Pharmaceuticals Import / Export Control Unit, 
Pharmaceutical Service, Department of Hea lth, 3/F, Public Health Laboratory Centre, 
382 Nam Cheong Street, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon, Hong Kong. 
 
(ii) For 36 Chinese herbal medicines : Chinese Medicines Section, Department of Health, 
2/F, Public Health Laboratory Centre , 382 Nam Cheong Street, Shek Kip Mei, 
Kowloon, Hong Kong. 
 G/LIC/N/2/HKG/4 
Page 2 
 
 
  (c) Administrative body for submission of applications  
 
See Item (b). 
 
(d) Date and name of publication where licensing procedures are published  
 
The Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Commencement) Notice 2007 was gazetted on 16 
November 2007.  It stipulates 11 January 2008 to  be the date on which, among others, the 
relevant provisions of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance (Cap 549) including the consequential 
amendment to the Import and Export (General ) Regulations, Cap. 60A shall come into 
operation. 
 
(e) Indication of whether the licensing procedur e is automatic or non-au tomatic according to 
definitions contained in Articles 2 and 3  
 
The licensing procedure is non-automatic. 
 (f) In the case of automatic import licensing procedures, their administrative purpose
 
 
 Not applicable.  
(g) In the case of non-automatic import licensing procedures, indication of the measure being 
implemented through the licensing procedures  
 
The import licensing procedure aims to establis h a mechanism to regulate, inter alia, the 
import of the proprietary Chinese medicines and 36 Chinese herbal medicines into Hong 
Kong Special Administrative Region.  The a pplicant is required to hold an appropriate 
trader’s licence issued by the Chinese Medicine Board prior to the application for an import 
licence.  Unless otherwise stated, an import licence is valid for six months.  
 
 (h) Expected duration of the licensing procedure if this can be estimated with some probability, 
and if not, reason why this information cannot be provided  
 
Two working days after submission of application for the import licence, subject to the availability of suffic ient information.  
 
 
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