How Far Will Hong Kong's Accession to ACFTA Impact its Trade in Goods?

Abstract

Hong Kong proposed its possible accession to the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) in November 2011. This report examines how much Hong Kong's accession to ACFTA will impact on the trade in goods between ASEAN and China. It is likely that the direct impact of Hong Kong's accession will be minimal on the trade in goods since re-exports account for 96.3% of Hong Kong's total exports, indicating that the value of Hong Kong-origin products is marginal. However stock operations using movement certificates (MCs) in Hong Kong, which cannot be carried out in non-members of ACFTA, will facilitate the trade in goods between China and ASEAN. As such stock operations are generally carried out in places located near to final destinations, Hong Kong's accession will facilitate further ASEAN exports to China.

ERIA-DP-2013-04