Vietnam Customs and China Customs promote customs cooperation in anti-smuggling

	Vietnam Customs and China Customs cooperate in anti-smuggling
	Four Vietnam Customs departments have a meeting with Kunming Customs

Deputy Director of the Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department (under the General Department of Vietnam Customs) Vu Quang Toan and Deputy Director of the Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department (under the General Administration of Customs of China) Vuong Hoa . Photo: T.Binh.

Based on the agreement on anti-smuggling cooperation signed on November 26, 1993 by the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the General Administration of Customs of China, the two Customs administrations held the 15th conference on Vietnam - China customs cooperation in anti-smuggling, taking place in Hanoi on November 23-24.

The Vietnam Customs delegation was led by Deputy Director of the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department (General Department of Vietnam Customs), Vu Quang Toan, and the China Customs delegation was led by Deputy Director of the Anti-Smuggling Department of the General Administration of Customs of China, Vuong Hoa.

At the Conference, the two sides reported on their achievements in combating smuggling and trade fraud. In addition, the two Customs administrations agreed that the increasingly complicated smuggling along border routes shared between Vietnam and China requires the two countries' customs administrations to work closer on law enforcement and fight against smuggling to ensure a healthy environment for their legitimate businesses.

Delegations of two Customs administrations attend the conference. Photo: T.B

The two Customs administrations reviewed achievement in coordinating the fight against smuggling in recent times and agreed to continue bolstering cooperation in preventing and combating drugs and trafficking of endangered animals, and implementing Operation Mekong Dragon which has been included in the “Joint Statement on further promoting and deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China”, affirming the importance for bilateral cooperation.

The conference is an important mechanism in cooperation between the two countries’ customs administrations.

The cooperation in fighting smuggling between the two Customs administrations has been strengthened and deepened on both bilateral and multilateral levels.

The conference.

The two sides regularly cooperate and support each other in fighting customs offences. The exchange of professional information and mutual assistance in investigation and verification of cases have brought good results.

They have actively collaborated in building initiatives and coordinated the implementation of Operation Mekong Dragon in combating drug and wildlife smuggling in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the conference, the two sides have discussed and agreed to strengthen coordination and improve the efficiency of information and expertise exchange to enhance the efficiency of anti-smuggling cooperation on all routes, promote investigation support activities of each country and the effectiveness of general control programmes.

Following the cooperation documents agreed by senior leaders of the two countries, the two Customs administrations have effectively coordinated and performed the Operation Mekong Dragon, made proposals to the leaders to heighten the performance of the Operation, and jointly reported results of the operation’s stages to the World Customs Organisation.