The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday expressed its strong disapproval of the United States’ imposition of so-called “reciprocal tariffs" and its elimination of the duty-free “de minimis” treatment for covered goods from Hong Kong starting May 2.

A spokesman for the HKSAR government said it will continue to closely monitor and assess any unilateral US measures that are inconsistent with fair trade and take actions to defend Hong Kong's legitimate interests, including filing of a complaint before the World Trade Organization.

"The US's measures are bullying and unreasonable, and grossly inconsistent with the World Trade Organization rules, willfully undermining the multilateral trading system which is the cornerstone for international trade,” the spokesman said.

“Once again, the HKSAR government firmly requests the US to withdraw its so-called reciprocal tariff measures," he added.

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The spokesman issued the statement after Washington's announcement of "reciprocal tariffs" on major trading partners.

He said the US allegation about the imposition of the “reciprocal tariff” on Hong Kong products due to the risk of transshipment and evasion is “ungrounded, fully showing that it is a bullying act for suppressing its competitors”.

He said that that Hong Kong, being a free port, upholds free trade and has never imposed any tariffs on imported goods, including those from the US.

"In 2023, the US was the third largest trading partner of Hong Kong, with the total merchandise trade value amounting to $60.3 billion,” the spokesman said.

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“During the past 10 years, the US has realized a trade surplus of $271.5 billion with Hong Kong, the largest among its global trading partners. The US' measures are mere unilateral protectionism that harm the interests of all," he added.

As for the duty-free “de minimis” treatment for postal items dispatched from Hong Kong to the US, the US has been repeatedly changing its policies unilaterally, the spokesman noted.

He said Hongkong Post has requested the postal administration of the US to promptly clarify the matter and should not cause inconvenience to the public.

From April 3 until May 2, Hongkong Post will temporarily maintain postal services to the US but will not collect any so-called tariffs on behalf of the US authorities, he added.