Hong Kong manufacturers joining mask subsidy should cater to government’s needs before selling protective gear in market, commerce minister says
- Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau makes the appeal after a beneficiary company was alleged to have sold masks in market
- Yau says none of the 13 production lines granted in-principle approval under mask subsidy plan have started supplying products to the government yet
Hong Kong manufacturers joining a HK$1.5-billion (US$194 million) subsidy scheme to produce surgical masks should cater to the government’s needs before selling the protective gear to the public, the commerce minister warned on Friday.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah made the appeal after a company which had received the subsidy quota from the government was alleged to have sold masks to the public.
Yau said none of the 13 production lines granted an in-principle approval under the plan had started supplying their products to the government.
“If they join this government plan, they should be very careful when they use the name of the scheme to do their promotions. I don’t want them to mislead residents,” he said.
“Our regulation limits them to supply goods to the government first. They can sell the masks in the market only after they meet our supply requirements and have extra goods left.”