Hanoi (VNA) – The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) willhost the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Customs Directors-Generaland Commissioners Meeting in October 2019.
The GDVC plans to propose some priorities to be added into the ASEM customs actionplan for 2019-2019 period, including applying the Fourth Industrial Revolution(Industry 4.0) in enhancing connection of IT systems to serve effective customsmanagement, promoting customs-business partnership, protecting the environment,society and security, and facilitating supply chain, Nguyen Viet Nga, deputy headof the GDVC’s International Cooperation Department, said at the pressconference on October 24.
Hosting the event, the General Department hopesto make contributions to boosting regional linkages and cooperation in customsin the context of Industry 4.0 and global challenges in the fight againstterrorism, and pressure on maintaining sustainable economic growth in responseto climate change.
The ASEM was officially set up in 1996 following the political initiative tofoster dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe.
It provides an open forum for policy makers and officials to discuss any political,economic and socio-cultural issues of common interest. ASEM covers the fullspectrum of relations between the two regions and devotes equal weight topolitical, economic and socio-cultural dimensions.
ASEM works on three pillars of politics, economy and finance, and society,culture and education. Customs cooperation in ASEM is included in the economicand financial pillar, with priority to promoting the implementation ofmultilateral trade system in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The ASEM Customs Directors-General and Commissioners Meeting has been organisedbiennially as a forum directing working groups to realise action plans inapproved periods.
During 2018-2019, the ASEM customs action plan will focus on measures to boostcollaboration in prioritised sectors, comprising facilitation of trade andcustoms procedures, combating counterfeiting goods, one-door customs mechanism,border management of international parcels.-VNA