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The Customs and Excise Department was presented with accession letters by the China Customs and the Taxation and Customs Union of the European Commission in the World Customs Organization's (WCO) 121st/122nd Council Sessions, which ended today (June 29), to signify Hong Kong's active participation in the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes Pilot Project (SSTL).
Apart from Hong Kong, two Spanish ports, namely, Barcelona and Valencia, also newly joined the SSTL, making currently a total of 17 participation ports.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Clement Cheung, said, "The Mainland and the European Union (EU) are Hong Kong's first and second largest trading partners in 2012. Strengthening ties with the Mainland and the EU through the participation not only creates synergy to SSTL, but also helps strengthen co-operation on the trade facilitation fronts." SSTL will bring greater benefits to the logistics industry through enhanced security and facilitative measures.
Riding on the Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade adopted by the WCO, SSTL aims at minimising Customs controls while upholding end-to-end supply chain security through enhanced Customs-to-Customs and Customs-to-Business co-operation, thereby enabling traders to enjoy more efficient and predictable cargo clearance at both exporting and importing ends.
Taking forward SSTL in Hong Kong, the Department's participation will definitely expand SSTL's scope and strengthen Hong Kong's role as a logistics hub with optimal transshipment capability.
Ends/Saturday, June 29, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:26
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