HONG KONG, Sept. 6 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced on Wednesday that the Postmaster General will adjust the principal postage rates with effect from Jan. 1, 2018.

The postage increase for about 80 percent of the total traffic will be within 1 HK dollar (about 0.12 U.S. dollar), with that for local letters of 30 grams or less rising from 1.70 HK dollars to 2 HK dollars.

For air mail, the cost to mail letters of 20 grams or less to places such as the Chinese mainland and China's Taiwan will rise from 2.90 HK dollars to 3.40 HK dollars.

For surface mail to the mainland, China's Macao and Taiwan, postage of letters of 20 grams or less will be adjusted from 2.20 HK dollars to 2.60 HK dollars.

The department said Hong Kong's postage rates will remain low compared to those overseas. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.8 HK dollars)