11th CAREC Customs Cooperation Committee Meeting

The CAREC Customs Cooperation Committee held its 11th annual meeting to

• review the progress made in priority areas, explore ways to replicate and strengthen positive experiences, and consider new areas for customs cooperation;
• discuss how to strengthen linkages with other border control agencies and institute cooperation mechanisms for more effective consultations with the private sector; and
• agree on the proposed list of trade facilitation investment and technical assistance projects as an input to the Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy midterm review.

PRC’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) hosted the meeting, which was attended by senior customs officials of the 10 CAREC member countries. Three roundtable discussions were organized: (i) Aligning CCC Priority Areas with International Best Practices in Trade Facilitation, (ii) Monitoring and Evaluation and
(iii) Projects for Trade Facilitation.

GACC Vice Minister Sun Yibiao welcomed the delegates and delivered an opening statement. Asian Development Bank’s PRC Country Director Hamid Sharif emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in achieving CAREC goals of accelerating economic growth and reducing poverty in the region.