Hong Kong update export control list again

On April 30, 2010, Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department ("TID") announced that Hong Kong's control list for strategic commodities is updated to reflect recent change of the international regime.
Hong Kong's current control list was amended in February 2010, and covers the revision adopted by international regimes up to end-2008. The control list update this time is to mirror the latest changes of Wasssenaar dual-use list up to end-2009, which is commonly traded strategic items such as electronics, computers, telecommunications and information security products.

The one of significant changes to traders in Hong Kong’s Schedule 1 list would be removal of certain cryptography items in Category 5 - part 2. By reflecting Note 4 (exemption note of “Ancillary” cryptography) of Wassenaar 2009 list, which decontrol items of incorporating the cryptography as “non-primarily” function, many of digital gadget and software will be no longer the license required items, such as gaming, household appliances, business process software, medical clinical equipments, and CAD software etc.

Another important change would be removal of cryptography devices from Schedule 2, which is the list of "more sensitive" group of strategic items, and require import/export license in transit and air-transshipment in Hong Kong. Schedule 2 contains military items and nuclear related items as such strictly controlled items. Encryption devices in transit through Hong Kong will be no longer require a license.

Effective date of the change is uncertain yet. Once the legal procedure is completed, the Order will be issued to inform traders of the effective date. Last time, the scheduled change was announced in mid-November 2009 and implementation was in early February 2010.

As of April 2010 among Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, Japan have already reflected Wassenaar dual-use list of 2009, while Singapore still have its dual-use list reflecting Wassenaar as of 2008.

(Source: http://www.stc.tid.gov.hk/english/circular_pub/2010_stc02.html )