China News Service, Beijing, September 24 (Reporter Liu Liang) The General Administration of Customs of China revealed at a press conference on the 24th that as of the end of August 2021, China’s “authenticated business operators” (AEOs) mutually recognize countries (or regions). ) The number ranks first in the world.
AEO is a system advocated by the World Customs Organization, that is, the customs certifies companies with good credit status, law compliance and safety measures, and provides customs clearance convenience for certified companies, including shortening customs clearance time and reducing customs clearance costs.
Customs of different countries can use the AEO mutual recognition system to give each other preferential and convenient measures to AEO enterprises.
Wang Sheng, Director of the Enterprise Management and Inspection Department of the General Administration of Customs, introduced at the press conference that in recent years, the General Administration of Customs has accelerated the promotion of AEO international mutual recognition cooperation, and promoted the cooperation with countries along the "Belt and Road" and the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement." (RCEP) member states, Central and Eastern European countries and important trading countries are focused on promoting the process of mutual recognition and cooperation.
He said that as of the end of August 2021, China Customs has signed AEO mutual recognition arrangements (agreements) with 46 countries or regions in 20 economies including Singapore, South Korea, and the European Union. The number of mutually recognized countries or regions ranks first in the world.
Among them, 19 countries along the "Belt and Road", 5 RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) member states and 13 Central and Eastern European countries.
China's AEO companies (advanced certification companies) account for about 60% of their total imports and exports to countries or regions that have mutually recognized AEOs.
The international mutual recognition of AEO helps to improve the convenience of enterprise customs clearance.
The questionnaire survey data disclosed by the General Administration of Customs on the same day showed that 73.62% of Chinese AEO companies exported to mutually recognized countries (regions) had a significant reduction in the overseas customs clearance inspection rate; 77.31% of the companies had a significant increase in the speed of overseas customs clearance; there were 58.85. % Of enterprises have reduced their overseas customs clearance logistics costs to a certain extent.
Wang Sheng said that China Customs has successfully bid to host the 6th World Customs Organization (WCO) Global AEO Conference in 2023, which is the highest-level multilateral cooperation conference in the AEO field and is held every two years.
In the next step, the General Administration of Customs will continue to fully promote the AEO mutual recognition cooperation process, help Chinese AEO companies enjoy customs convenience measures in more and more countries and regions, and enhance their international competitiveness.
At the same time, China Customs will also make every effort to promote AEO mutual recognition cooperation with RCEP member states, and strive to achieve AEO mutual recognition with all RCEP member countries that have established AEO systems.
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