HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will file a complaint with the World Trade Organization following the United States’ announcement to impose an additional 10 percent duty on Hong Kong’s products.

“The US' measures are grossly inconsistent with the relevant WTO rules and ignore our status as a separate customs territory as stipulated in Article 116 of the Basic Law and recognized by the WTO,” an HKSAR government spokesman said in a statement on Friday.

The formal complaint procedures will be launched in accordance with the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism against Washington’s “unreasonable measures to defend our legitimate rights”, added the spokesman.

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Stressing that Hong Kong is a staunch supporter of the rule-based multilateral trading system, the spokesman said the HKSAR government strongly opposes the US measures and urges the US to take immediate actions to rectify its wrongdoing.

On Feb 1, US President Donald Trump announced an additional 10 percent tariff on goods originating from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, effective since Tuesday. The new measures also removed the de minimis exemption, which previously allowed shipments valued at $800 (HK$6,228) or less to enter the US duty-free.

Hong Kong officials and experts said the newly-announced US tariffs will have only a “mild impact” on the city, given its low reliance on the US market.

READ MORE: ‘US tariff impact limited as HK firms pivot to emerging market’

Hong Kong’s exports to the US were valued at approximately HK$6.1 billion in 2023, accounting for just 0.1 percent of the city’s total exports, according to Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah.