Digi-Sign and Guangdong Electronic Certification Authority cooperate on "Unified-Cert" Service

(Hong Kong, 18 May 2004) Digi-Sign Certification Services Limited(Digi-Sign) announced today the cooperation with Guangdong Electronic Certification Authority (GDCA) on the "Unified-Cert" service, which makes it possible for residents based in Mainland China to procure both the Digi-Sign ID-Cert and the digital certificate of GDCA in one single application. The new service is expected to bring the level of online transactions between the two places to a new height.

Digi-Sign Certification Services Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tradelink. It is the first private Certification Authority recognized by the Hong Kong SAR Government under the Electronic Transactions Ordinance. Branded ID-Cert, the digital certificates issued by Digi-Sign can be used to authenticate a wide range of trade transactions online including government transactions, internet banking, legal document service, online stock trading, online betting service, etc. So far, over 170,000 ID-Certs have been issued.

Guangdong CA, established in 2000, is the certification authority approved by the Guangdong provincial government. The Guangdong CA digital certificate, about 180,000 have been issued so far, has been widely adopted as a trusted and secure solution for online applications such as tax submission, trade declarations, electronic tendering and purchasing as well as several major e-government development projects.

Justin Yue, Chairman of Digi-Sign, said, "The cooperation between GDCA and Digi-Sign has expanded the scope of the use of digital certificates. Customers in Hong Kong and Guangdong can now benefit from a trusted and secure solution to conduct online transactions. At the same time, it also promotes further the facilitation of trade and the development of e-commerce between the two places."

Mr. Yin Guan Xin, director of GDCA, said, "Both Hong Kong and Guangdong have established their respective Electronic Transaction Ordinance (ETO), which provides a legal framework enabling electronic records and digital signatures to enjoy legal recognitions similar to their paper-based counterparts. This legal framework will also act as a common platform for further cooperation between GDCA and Digi-Sign. The joint "Unified-Cert" service, which brings to customers a convenient and reliable authentication service, will certainly leads to an increase of online activities between Hong Kong and Guangdong."

Customers who are Mainland residents in possession of valid travel documents to Hong Kong or Hong Kong Identity Card holders are eligible to apply the "Unified-Cert" with a validity of 2 years. For details, please visit the websites of Digi-Sign (www.dg-sign.com) or GDCA (www.cnca.net).

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