53 customs delegations of countries attending ASEM 13 in Quang Ninh

	Deputy Director General Mai XuanThanh attended the 13th meeting of ASEM Working Group on Customs Matters
	Vietnam Customs will host the 13th ASEM Customs Directors-General and Commissioners Meeting
	ASEM Customs cooperation: Fighting against counterfeit goods for fast moving consumer goods

Deputy Director General Mai Xuan Thanh (3rd from left) leads the Vietnam Customs delegation to attend the 13th session ASEM Customs Working Group organized by the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium from day 1 -3/7/2019. Photo: Viet Nga (International Cooperation)

According to the General Department of Customs, within the framework of ASEM Customs cooperation, the General Meeting of ASEM Customs will have about 180 delegations from 53 Customs offices of countries including the General Director of Customs; Customs Commissioner of ASEM member countries; Secretary of the World Customs Organization (WCO); leader of the European Customs and Tax Commission, representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat.

Customs cooperation in the ASEM forum lies in the process of security and economic dialogue with the main priority of supplementing and strengthening the implementation of the multilateral trading system in the WTO. The working mechanism in ASEM customs forum including the working group on customs meetings and the General Director of Customs is organized every two years alternating between Asian and European countries. In which, ASEM's General Directorate of Customs plays the role of a forum to guide and direct working groups to implement action plans according to the stages approved by ASEM Customs Directors.

According to the General Department of Customs, the 13th General Meeting of Directors of ASEM Customs will review and evaluate the results of implementing the ASEM Customs Action Plan for the period of 2018-2019 and discuss, develop and approve the ASEM Customs Action Plan for the period 2020-2021, focusing specifically on measures including trade facilitation; supply chain security; fight against fake goods and environmental protection and consumers.

The organization of this conference for Vietnam Customs not only fulfils its member obligations but is also an opportunity to affirm and enhance its position on the ASEM cooperation forum, actively contribute to the above general cooperation orientation in the forum.

3 priorities at the 13th ASEM Customs Directors-General Meeting

The General Department of Customs insisted, following the action plan for ASEM Customs 2018-2019, as the host country of the conference, Vietnam Customs plans to propose some contents of the action program for ASEM 2020-2021 including fourth industrial revolution application in strengthening integration and connection of information technology systems to serve effective customs management and customs campaigns to protect the environment, society and commercial security.