U.S. and Hong Kong (2008)

Country Reports on Terrorism 2007

Released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
April 30, 2008

Chapter 2 -- Country Reports: East Asia and Pacific Overview

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong's position as a major transit point for cargo, finances, and people and its open trade and financial regime made it a potential site for money laundering and terrorist financing activities. The high level of cooperation and the successful implementation of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) by Hong Kong Customs officials received continued praise from visiting USG delegations, which described it as a model for CSI implementation. In cooperation with Hong Kong Customs and one of Hong Kong's port terminal operators, the United States began implementation of a the Strategic Freight Initiative (SFI) pilot project to screen 100 percent of U.S.-bound containers using non-invasive inspection techniques to scan for nuclear and radiological materials.

Hong Kong law enforcement agencies provided full support and cooperation to their overseas counterparts in tracing financial transactions suspected of being linked to terrorist activities.

Hong Kong actively participated in various anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing initiatives, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Asia/Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering. Hong Kong's Joint Financial Intelligence Unit (JFIU), operated by Hong Kong Police and the Customs and Excises Department, is a member of the Egmont Group. Hong Kong completed a mutual evaluation by the FATF and APG in November; the results of this review will be announced in mid-2008.

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• Country Reports on Terrorism 2007