Macao OPA textile products to be excluded from Mainland export duty

Textiles and clothing products of Macau origin that undergo outward processing in the Mainland will be exempt from export duty imposed by the Mainland. This was agreed today in the Joint Steering Committee meeting of CEPA held in Beijing, chaired by the Deputy Director of the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ms Chen Xing, and the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Lok Kit Sim. The exemption was agreed in consideration of the impact of newly imposed export duty on Macao’s textile industry. According to the agreement reached, all textile products with Macao Certificates of Origin that undergo outward processing in the Mainland before export would be excluded from the export duty. The exemption will not apply to products without a Mainland Outward Processing Arrangement (OPA) Certificate. The relevant departments in the Mainland and Macao have formed a working group to work out details and it was agreed that the arrangement would be implemented within next month. It is expected that physical documents would be required to for products subjected to the exemption arrangement in the initial stage, before switching to an electronic system.