The biennial event, which drew 120 delegates from 45 countries worldwide, focused on operational solutions arising from the Actions proposed in the ASEM Action Plan 2016-2017,  prioritised sectors, including the implementation of the Customs Trade Facilitation, product safety, border management and intellectual property rights.

The meeting also adopted structure for the upcoming Action Plan 2018-2019 with identification of significant contents for the period.

Customs cooperation is among ASEM economic pillars which bolster multilateral trade among the World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s members. The collaboration focuses on building measures to facilitate trade and security for trade supply chain, standardise and simplify customs procedure, prevent counterfeit and protect the environment. 

The Vietnamese Customs’ prestige and position has been growing on the international arena thanks to rosy achievements in customs reforms and the proactive engagement in building legal frameworks for regional customs integration and cooperation.

Vietnam will host the next event in 2019, representing its role and stature at international forums.

Earlier, Customs of Singapore and Thailand hosted similar meeting.

Source: vov.vn