GDC General Director Nguyen Ngoc Tuc and Commissioner of HCE Clement Cheung at the signing ceremony (Source: VNA) Viet Nam‘s General Department of Customs (GDC) and Hong Kong Customs and Excise (HCE) signed a mutual cooperation and assistance agreement on June 28th in Brussels, Belgium.
The agreement, which was signed during the annual meeting of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), is the 18th cooperative agreement that Viet Nam has made with customs agencies over the world.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, GDC General Director Nguyen Ngoc Tuc underlined the significance of the agreement in fostering customs cooperation between Viet Nam and Hong Kong, especially in preventing smuggling, trade fraud and violations of customs laws.
The agreement is an important milestone in the cooperation between the two countries and will benefit both sides, he said.
Commissioner of HCE Clement Cheung said that the agreement, the 21st of its kind his agency has signed with foreign partners, is hoped to help bring efficiency and economic benefit to both Hong Kong and Viet Nam’s important customs work.
Hong Kong is now a territory of transit for many of Viet Nam’s import-export commodities. Two-way trade between the two sides increased from 3.1 billion USD in 2011 to 4.7 billion USD in 2012. The figure was 1.7 billion USD in the first five months of this year.
HCE has a reputation for operating effectively in fighting illegal drug transport and enforcing intellectual property rights at border areas.
During the gathering of the WOC, Tuc participated in working sessions and bilateral meetings with the leaders of several customs agencies to enhance understanding, promote cooperation and seek mutual assistance.
On June 27th, the GDC delegation attended the opening session of the WCO’s meeting in Brussels./.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
