(16 JULY 2004, HONG KONG) Tradelink Electronic Commerce Limited, Hong Kong's largest provider of electronic services, announced today that its Cargo Manifest service will be fully used by all air and rail carriers from 17 July 2004, in accordance with the requirement by the Government.

Tradelink's electronic Cargo Manifest (EMAN) service was first launched in April 2003. The service allows carriers to submit cargo manifests to the Customs and Excise Department, the Census and Statistics Department, and the Trade and Industry Department electronically. The time and resources spent on preparing paper manifests and submitting manifest copies in-person to various government departments will be eliminated, making the process more efficient.

As the Cargo Manifest service for the air and rail modes goes fully electronic, it is envisaged the ocean and river modes will follow suit in the near future. Tradelink is also planning to introduce cargo manifest service for the road transportation, as part of its suite of cross border transaction services to be connected to the new Digital Trade and Transportation Network, details of which are now in the final stage of discussion with the Government.

""By making available to customers the wide range of efficient and effective electronic services, Tradelink helps transform the local trading community characterized by SMEs to one which is productive and competitive in the international trade arena." Said Justin Yue, CEO of Tradelink. "Today, Tradelink is Hong Kong's undisputed leader in e-commerce. With its ever-enriching portfolio of electronic services, Tradelink is committed to serving all customers in all businesses whenever and wherever the power of e-commerce can reach them."

EMAN is one of the wide range of electronic services introduced jointly by the Government and Tradelink since 1997. In addition to EMAN, Restrained Textiles Export Licence application, Trade Declaration, Production Notification, Certificate of Origin and Dutiable Commodities Permit have already become fully electronic.

Currently, Tradelink offers three special long-term packages for ocean, river and rail carriers who commit to use Tradelink's electronic manifest service on an exclusive basis. Customers can choose a 3-, 5- or 7-year contract for a fixed charge over the contract period. Additional discounts of up to 70 per cent will also be offered to customers whose ocean/ rail cargo manifests exceed a certain volume in a month.

Meanwhile, to assist traders who have not yet adopted the electronic service for cargo manifests, Tradelink has made available a data processing service for conversion of paper documents into electronic form at the Tradelink Service Centre located in Mongkok for onward submission to Customs & Excise Department.

For more information on the electronic Cargo Manifest service, please call Tradelink Sales Hotline at 2599 1700.