Hong Kong Customs, the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) and the Macao Customs Service convened the sixth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Customs Intellectual Property Enforcement Cooperation Meeting yesterday (November 9). The Deputy Commissioner (Control and Enforcement) of Customs and Excise, Mr Mark Woo; the Deputy Director-General of the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the GACC, Mr Bi Kexin; and the Assistant Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Mr Ip Wa-chio, led respective delegations to attend the meeting in Hong Kong.

     During the meeting, the three Customs administrations summarised recent enforcement outcomes of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection. Taking the 12-day joint enforcement operation conducted from July 20 to July 31 as an example, the three administrations stepped up inspections of goods destined for countries and regions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, and eventually succeeded in combatting cross-boundary and transhipment counterfeiting activities. Through risk assessment, Hong Kong Customs in the operation targeted high-value counterfeit goods at local express couriers and logistics companies, seizing a total of about 38 000 suspected counterfeit goods, including watches, mobile phones and accessories, with a total estimated market value of about $15 million.

     In addition, the three Customs administrations agreed to put forward three collaboration directions for IPR enforcement in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA): (1) to deepen targeted joint operations, conducting cross-regional joint enforcement targeting key control points and commodities; (2) to streamline multilevel intelligence communication channels by refining dual-directional intelligence feedback arrangements, thereby further enhancing the overall effectiveness of cross-boundary collaborative enforcement; and (3) to enhance communication and collaboration with rights holders by elevating IPR protection across the three administrations into a multi-party synergistic paradigm engaging law enforcement agencies, industry organisations and rights holders. The three parties will join hands to build an "IPR Protection Umbrella" for the GBA, helping more national brands expand into international markets.

     The Guangdong Sub-Administration of the GACC delegation also visited an express operation centre in Tuen Mun to understand Hong Kong Customs' enforcement work regarding express supervision, and how the department enhances risk profiling and enforcement effectiveness through maintaining close liaison with the industry and strengthening information exchanges, thereby jointly combatting cross-boundary counterfeiting activities via express parcel channels while facilitating legitimate trade.

     The Customs authorities of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao have all along placed great importance on IPR protection. In order to implement the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the three have strengthened their collaboration in IPR protection through intelligence exchanges, joint operations, and visits and exchanges since 2019. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Customs Intellectual Property Enforcement Cooperation Meeting also serves as a valuable platform for them to summarise co-operative achievements, exchange enforcement experiences, and formulate future enforcement strategies.

Ends/Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:50

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