The air cargo volume in Hong Kong is being affected by regulations related to the transit of electronic cigarettes to the Special Administrative Region (SAR).
The Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics (HAFFA) has stated that the 2021 smoking ordinance, which prohibits the importation of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, herbal cigarettes, and other smoking products, took effect in April.
This ban also means that these products cannot be transported through Hong Kong when being shipped overseas by truck, but transit goods transported by air and goods that remain on planes and ships are exempt.
A survey of members revealed that 330,000 tons of air cargo are impacted annually by restrictions, with an estimated value of over 120 billion yuan in diverted goods.
According to HAFFA, the ban has "choked the environment of the freight logistics industry and had a negative impact on the livelihoods of its employees.
Gary Lau, the chairman of HAFFA, has stated that since the passage of the legislation by the Legislative Council in October last year, the association has received numerous complaints from its members and other industry stakeholders, highlighting the negative impact the legislation is having on the association.
We have written four letters to the Chief Executive/Policy Bureau regarding this matter.
This regulation has led to a significant decline in Hong Kong's overall air cargo exports, resulting in annual losses of hundreds of thousands of tons of transshipment for the industry, airlines, freight terminals, and Hong Kong International Airport.
This will inevitably shake Hong Kong's position as a regional transportation hub and cause significant impact on people's livelihoods.
Liu stated that HAFFA agrees with the initial purpose of legislation to protect public health, but strongly urges the government to allow land transportation.
He said, "We will continue to do our best to cooperate with the government and expand the scope of exemptions under the regulations, including land and air transportation modes.
On September 9, HAFFA held an emergency meeting with industry organizations, Deputy Financial Secretary Huang Weilun, Director of Transport and Logistics Bureau Lin Shixiong, and Legislative Councilor in the Transport Functional Constituency, Yick Chi-ming.
According to HAFFA, the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the government's ban on the land transportation of electronic cigarettes, which has resulted in negative impacts on the environmental conditions of the freight and logistics industry, as well as the livelihoods of employees.
Haffa has expressed their opinion, seeking a solution and has proposed a new secure land transport method to prevent illegal electronic cigarettes from being transported through the black market, in order to ease the government’s concerns," it added.
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