Dialogue Customs – Business: Safe world trade regime for APEC

A Strong partnership between Customs and Business will create safe world trade regime.

With the participation of about 100 attendees from APEC Customs administrations, private sectors, and international organizations such as WCO, World Bank, International Chambers of Commerce (ICC), APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), etc.

Promote connectivity on trade facilitation

In the context of globalization and international integration have become a trendy, trading goods, services and investments between countries increasingly widespread. Besides that, the threats of trade security, socioeconomic safety also tend to increase and complex. The question is set out how to create favorable conditions for trade, tourism, international investment while ensuring security and safety. Customs administrations as a role of “guardian” in every APEC economies continually coordinate with relevant agencies and the business community to research and find solutions to solve the problem.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Liem, Vice President of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Ho Chi Minh City said that the import-export turnover between Vietnam and APEC member economies accounts for 75% of the total import-export turnover of the country. In 2016, imports turnover from APEC accounted for 83.91% and exports turnover accounted for 16.09%. Developing trade relations between Vietnam and APEC members over the past years has also shown positive results in that the close partnership between Customs and Business.

On the perspective of free trade and regional as well as global integration, the role of customs is considered as a trade facilitator, enforcer, and enabler. We will have to raise our responsibilities and duties in facilitating legitimate trade, promoting cross-s border e-commerce in the global supply chain through raising public awareness and compliance aimed at achieving supply chain connectivity and trade facilitation promotion comprehensively.

Vietnam Customs contributed to content about risk management activities for importers and exporters through a presentation by Mr. Bui Thai Quang - Deputy Director of Risk Management Department. Mr. Quang also said that Vietnam Customs facilitates businesses, especially AEO's, to meet the need to improve the business environment and enhance national competitiveness. Improve the effectiveness of Customs-Business cooperation, promote voluntary compliance of the community.

Mr.Raymond Yee, the representative of Conference of Asia Pacific Express Carriers (CAPEC), also made recommendations on facilitating customs procedures more conveniently by simplifying registration procedures for importers and exporters; Apply de minimis for low value shipments; Risk management, transparency and certainty; Harmonization in reducing trade costs and implementation of Revised Kyoto Convention and WCO WCO Immediate Release Guidelines; Promotes good governance and efficiency and effective management. That is important for the growing trade

Enterprises talk with Customs. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Ensuring trade security

The dialogue highlighted the importance of application information technology, risk management, a single window in Customs control that are considered as a constructive measure of implementing trade facilitation in digital trade and raising the efficiency of APEC supply chain performance.

Fully utilizing modern information technology, e-customs with customs procedures simplifications would help to gain the overarching goal including reducing trade costs across supply chains and improving supply chain reliability in supporting the competitiveness of business in the Asia Pacific region.

Mrs. Lee Ju Song, Executive Director, International Chamber of Commerce, Regional Office – Asia, said APEC could accelerate integration through the ATA Carnet. This is an international Customs document for temporary import and export of goods (excluding means of transport) regulated under the terms of ATA or Istanbul Convention. She also recommended solutions to promote greater trade facilitation through the close partnership between customs and business. Accordingly, customs will facilitate trade through the ATA Carnet system, together with the World Chambers Federation (WCF), a division of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in partnership with the World Customs Organization (WCO) to manage the ATA Carnet system.

Thus, Vietnam should establish an Implementation Committee between the Customs and the Chamber of Commerce to work on the steps to be taken by Customs and the private sector to make ATA Carnet System a reality.

Earlier, the ICC has worked with Customs to successfully operate the system. Ms. Le Ju Song emphasized that the ICC would be pleased to provide the technical expertise to help Customs and Chambers to work together in implementing the System.

Marcus Bartley Johns - Senior Trade Specialist, Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, World Bank, emphasized the cooperation of Customs with businesses to better manage risk in e-commerce. Accordingly, with the availability of more, high-quality transaction data earlier in the trade process is essential for effective risk management. So it is essential to manage risk effectively. It also allows advance assessment of potential risks; determination of time and place for customs controls and risk mitigation measures ( a multi-lateraltype of intervention) to be applied.

Within the framework of APEC, Vietnam and member economies should strengthen cooperation between customs administrations among APEC members in terms of information and experiences sharing, technical support and capacity building activities. The role of international organizations in technical assistance is highlighted. More importantly, it is essential to promote close collation between public and private sector, develop cooperative channel between customs and business community, improve the collaboration among border agencies and engage participation of all stakehomultilateral practice in order to provide operable solutions for chokepoints in supply chain connectivity and trade facilitation promotion of Asia Pacific.

This is one of series activities under APEC SCCP 2017. The successful completion of the dialogue that chaired by the Vietnamese Customs will contribute to the role and efforts of SCCP Vietnam in the success of APEC 2017.