引 言
香港特区政府与国家商务部于2015年11月在《内地与香港关于建立更紧密经贸关系的安排》框架下签署《服务贸易协议》，使内地与香港基本实现服务贸易自由化。双方于2019年11月签订协议修订《服务贸易协议》，增加开放措施，有关措施自2020年6月起实施。为进一步开放和便利服务贸易，响应香港业界更多参与内地市场发展的期望，双方同意再次修订《服务贸易协议》，并于2024年10月9日签署新协定。《修订协议二》于2025年3月1日起实施。
01
《服务贸易协议修订协议二》的内容
《修订协议二》在不少香港特别具优势的服务领域例如金融、建筑及相关工程、检测和认证、电信、电影、电视、旅游等都增添了开放措施，形式包括就企业的设立取消或放宽股权比例和业务范围的限制；就香港专业人士提供服务放宽资质要求；以及就香港服务输出内地市场放宽限制。大部分开放措施适用于内地全境，也有一些在粤港澳大湾区珠三角九市先行先试，具体内容如下：
（一）建筑及相关工程服务：允许香港产业测量企业可通过备案方式，在广东省提供专业服务；以及允许已备案的香港工程建设咨询企业依法以联合体模式参与竞投粤港澳大湾区珠三角九市的项目咨询服务；
（二）电影：取消香港服务提供商不得投资电影制作的限制；以及允许香港服务提供商经内地主管部门批准设立的发行公司，经营以买断形式引进的香港影片的发行业务；
（三）电视：取消香港人士参与网络电视剧作主创人员的数量限制；以及允许香港制作的引进剧经国家广播电视总局批准后在内地广播电视台的黄金时段播出；
（四）旅游：优化实施由香港入境的外国旅游团进入广东停留144小时免签政策，包括增加入境口岸及扩大停留区域至广东省全省，并为内地旅行社在高铁西九龙站接关提供便利；以及支持邮轮运输企业依法安排挂靠内地邮轮港口的国际邮轮航线。对于参与此类邮轮旅游线路的内地旅客，可凭护照及相关邮轮航程的确认档，以过境方式赴港参与全部邮轮航程；及
（五）金融服务：取消香港金融机构向保险公司投资入股，最近一年年末总资产不少于20亿美元的要求；取消香港服务提供商设立的外国银行分行不得从事银行卡业务的限制；研究扩大互联互通目标范围，包括REITs（房地产投资信托基金）；持续推进并优化跨境理财通业务试点和内地与香港基金互认安排；以及持续推进内地与香港ETF（交易型开放式指数基金）互挂安排及债券通“南向通”、“北向通”业务。
另外，《修订协议二》也带来制度创新和加强对接，包括：
（一）新增“港资港法”和“港资港仲裁”作为便利香港投资者的措施，支持粤港澳大湾区试点城市注册的港资企业，协议选择使用香港或澳门法律为合同适用法；以及支持在粤港澳大湾区珠三角九市注册的港资企业，选择香港或澳门为仲裁地。措施为香港企业提供弹性和便利，有助促进它们在内地投资和发展业务；
（二）新增“本地规制”的承诺，确保服务贸易规则的透明度、可预测性和效率，对接国际高标准经贸规则，为企业于市场提供服务时，省却繁琐规则和降低贸易成本，以便利服务贸易；及
（三）在大部分服务领域取消香港服务提供商须在香港从事实质性经营三年的年期规定，不单能让香港的初创企业更早享受《安排》的优惠待遇，更可以吸引世界各地企业和人才立足香港开拓内地市场，增加本地就业、推动香港经济发展、发挥香港“超级联系人”和“超级增值人”的角色。
02
《服务贸易协议修订协议二》带来的
好处
新协议对香港的益处体现在三方面。首先，香港多个具优势产业都可获得更多新机遇，具体例子包括电视和电影业取消香港人士参与网络电视剧作主创人员的数量限制，同时取消香港服务提供商不得投资电影制作的限制。旅游方面，经由香港入境内地的外国旅游团可享进入广东停留144小时免签政策，有助香港业界开拓一程多站旅游产品，吸引海外游客来港。金融服务业方面，新协议取消香港金融机构向保险公司投资入股，最近一年年末总资产不少于20亿美元的要求，有助更多香港金融保险机构进入内地市场。
第二项益处在于制度创新，修订协议新增港资港法和港资港仲裁，作为便利香港投资者的措施，提供弹性和便利，方便香港企业在内地投资和发展。这一方面让在内地投资兴业的港企可按它们熟悉的法律作为合同适用法律、也可以选择以香港作为仲裁地；另一方面，让香港用好在法律和争议解决服务的优势，助力大湾区建立更国际化的商业环境，发挥好香港作为“引进来”和“走出去”的双向门户角色。
另外，修订协议松绑规限，在大部分服务领域取消香港服务提供商须在香港从事实质性经营三年的规定，吸引全球企业和人才落户香港，经香港进入内地市场。这不单能让初创企业更早享受CEPA优惠待遇，更可以吸引世界各地的企业和人才落户香港，以开拓内地市场，并蓬勃我们的经济。
03
结语
是次修订协议在不少香港特别具优势的服务领域都增添了开放措施，让香港服务提供商可以更容易在内地设立企业和发展业务、更多香港专业人士可在内地取得执业资格，以及更多优质的香港服务可提供予内地市场，同时为国家发展贡献服务和力量。
杨杨朱律师事务所有限法律责任合伙与北京天达共和（香港）律师事务所联营。
本篇文章仅是对有关题目提供的一般概述，并非旨在成为可依赖的专业意见。请联系我们获取进一步的具体法律意见。
Background for signing Amendment Agreement II on Trade in Services under the framework of Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement
Introduction
The HKSAR Government and the Ministry of Commerce signed the Agreement on Trade in Services under the framework of Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (“CEPA”) in November 2015 to basically achieve liberalisation of trade in services between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The parties signed an agreement in November 2019 to amend the Services Agreement and add new liberalisation measures that have been implemented since June 2020. To further enhance liberalisation and facilitate trade in services in response to the aspirations of the Hong Kong business community for greater participation in the development of the Mainland market, the parties agreed to make further amendments to the Services Agreement and signed the new agreement (“Amendment Agreement II”) on 9 October 2024. The Amendment Agreement II will come into effect on 1 March 2025.
01
Contents of Amendment Agreement II
The Amendment Agreement II introduces new liberalisation measures across several service sectors where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, such as financial services, construction and related engineering services, testing and certification, telecommunications, motion pictures, television and tourism services. The liberalisation measures take various forms, including removing or relaxing restrictions on equity shareholding and business scope in the establishment of enterprises; relaxing qualification requirements for Hong Kong professionals providing services; and easing restrictions on Hong Kong's exports of services to the Mainland market. Most of the liberalisation measures apply to the whole Mainland, while some of them are designated for pilot implementation in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (“GBA”). The details are as follows:
(1) Construction and related engineering services: To allow Hong Kong general practice surveying enterprises to provide professional services in Guangdong Province through filing of records; and to allow Hong Kong engineering construction consultant enterprises that have completed filing of records to bid for consultancy services projects in joint venture in compliance with the laws in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the GBA;
(2) Motion pictures: To remove the restriction on investment in enterprises engaging in film production by Hong Kong service suppliers; and to allow enterprises established by Hong Kong service suppliers and approved by the relevant Mainland authorities to operate distribution of imported buy-out Hong Kong motion pictures;
(3) Television: To remove the quantitative restriction on Hong Kong people participating as principal creative personnel in online television dramas; and to allow imported dramas produced in Hong Kong to be broadcast during prime time in television stations on the Mainland after obtaining approval from the National Radio and Television Administration;
(4) Tourism services: To optimise the implementation of the 144-hour visa-exemption policy for foreign group tours entering Guangdong from Hong Kong through increasing the number of inbound control points and expanding the stay areas to the whole of Guangdong Province, and to provide facilitation for Mainland travel agents when receiving group tours at West Kowloon Station of the High Speed Rail; and to support cruise companies to arrange international cruise itineraries involving port-of-call in the Mainland cruise ports in accordance with the laws. In respect of Mainland visitors participating in such cruise itineraries, they can travel to Hong Kong in transit to join all sorts of cruise itineraries, by presenting their passports and confirmation documents of the relevant cruise itineraries; and
(5) Financial services: To remove the asset requirement of not less than US$2 billion as at the end of the most recent year for Hong Kong financial institutions investing in shares of insurance companies; to remove the restriction prohibiting foreign bank branches established by Hong Kong service suppliers from conducting bank cards services; to consider extending the scope of eligible products under the mutual market access programme by including REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts); to continuously promote and enhance the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect Pilot Scheme and the Mainland-Hong Kong Mutual Recognition of Funds scheme; and to continuously promote the cross listing arrangement of the Mainland and Hong Kong ETF (open-ended index-tracking exchange-traded funds) as well as enhance Southbound Trading and Northbound Trading under Bond Connect.
In addition, the Amendment Agreement II brings institutional innovation and collaboration enhancement, including:
(1) Addition of "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law" and "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong" as facilitation measures for Hong Kong investors, supporting Hong Kong-invested enterprises registered in the pilot municipalities of the GBA to adopt Hong Kong law or Macao law as the applicable law in their contracts; as well as supporting Hong Kong-invested enterprises registered in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the GBA to choose Hong Kong or Macao as the seat of arbitration. The measures provide flexibility and convenience for Hong Kong enterprises, facilitating their investment and business development on the Mainland;
(2) Addition of commitments regarding domestic regulation to ensure transparency, predictability and efficiency of regulations on trade in services, so as to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, cutting red tape and lowering trade costs when enterprises render their services in a market to facilitate trade in services; and
(3) Removal of the period requirement on Hong Kong service suppliers to engage in substantive business operations in Hong Kong for three years in most service sectors, allowing Hong Kong start-ups to enjoy the preferential treatment under CEPA in a shorter time and attracting enterprises and talents from around the world to establish a presence in Hong Kong and explore the Mainland market, thus increasing local employment, promoting Hong Kong's economic development and giving full play to Hong Kong's roles as a "super connector" and "super value-adder".
02
Benefits deriving from Amendment Agreement II
The benefits of the Amendment Agreement II to Hong Kong are reflected in three areas. First of all, there would be more new opportunities for many of Hong Kong's industries which enjoy competitive advantages. Specific examples include the lifting of quantitative restrictions on the number of Hong Kong people participating in the production of online TV dramas as principal creative personnel in television and film industries, and the lifting of restrictions on Hong Kong service providers to invest in film production. For tourism, foreign group tours entering the Mainland via Hong Kong may enjoy the 144-hour visa-exemption policy for entering Guangdong, which will help the industry to develop multi-destination tourism products and attract overseas tourists to Hong Kong. For financial services industry, the Amendment Agreement II eliminates the total assets requirement of no less than US$2 billion for Hong Kong financial institutions to invest in insurance companies, which will help more Hong Kong financial and insurance institutions to enter the Mainland market.
The second benefit lies in institutional innovation. The Amendment Agreement II includes "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law" and "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong" as measures to facilitate Hong Kong investors, providing flexibility and convenience for Hong Kong enterprises to invest and develop in the Mainland. It allows Hong Kong companies investing and operating in the Mainland to adopt the law they are familiar with as the applicable law of contracts, and they can also choose Hong Kong as the seat of arbitration. It enables Hong Kong to better leverage its competitiveness in legal and dispute resolution services to help the GBA to establish a more international business environment and give full play to Hong Kong's role as a two-way gateway for "bringing in" and "going out".
In addition, the Amendment Agreement II relaxes restrictions and removes the requirement for Hong Kong service suppliers to engage in substantial operations in Hong Kong for three years in most service areas, thereby attracting global companies and talents to establish a presence in Hong Kong and enter the Mainland market through Hong Kong. This will not only enable start-ups to enjoy CEPA preferential treatment earlier, but also attract companies and talents from all over the world to settle in Hong Kong to explore the Mainland market and flourish our economy.
03
Conclusion
The Amendment Agreement II introduces new liberalisation measures across different service sectors where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, making it easier for Hong Kong service suppliers to establish enterprises and develop business in the Mainland, enabling more Hong Kong professionals to obtain qualifications to practise in the Mainland, allowing more of Hong Kong's quality services to be provided to the Mainland market, and contributing to and serving the country's development.
YYC Legal LLP is in Association with East & Concord Partners (Hong Kong) Law Firm.
This material has been prepared for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as professional advice. Please contact us for specific advice.
蒋建丰
Roy Chiang
天达共和香港联营所
杨杨朱律师事务所 合伙人
roychiang@east-concord.com.hk
+852 3797 8243
蒋建丰律师执业二十多年，在企业合规及管治、跨境并购、企业重组以及公司及商业事务及交易方面累积了相当丰富的法律服务经验。
同时，他专注于楼宇买卖、以公司名义持有物业并进行公司股权转让、租务、按揭及贷款、印花税及印花税宽免等房地产法律事宜，在房地产法律这个范畴为客户提供法律服务及意见。
蒋律师为本所公司秘书部门的主管。蒋律师加入本所之前任职于香港一家大型律师事务所。
蒋律师是一位婚姻监礼人。
蒋律师精通英语、普通话及粤语。
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