China-EU Joint Customs Cooperation Committee (JCCC) had its third meeting on 28, January in Beijing. Mr.MU Xinsheng, Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China and László Kovács, Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union of EU attended the opening ceremony and held bilateral talks. During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues on China-EU customs cooperation,focusing on the China-EU Pilot Project on Smart and Secure Trade Lanes, intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and the implementation of the “China-EC Agreement on Co-operation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters” (hereinafter referred to as the “Agreement”).

Minister Mu Xinsheng said that the past two years saw leapfrog development on China-EU customs cooperation. With a shared strategic vision in mind, the two sides took the lead in implementing the WCO Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade, launched the China-EU Pilot Project on Smart and Secure Trade Lanes and started real-time data exchange to materialize the pilot project. Both sides attach great importance to and are implementing the Agreement in a responsible manner. Efforts have been put in to establish a mutually beneficial implementation mechanism, and the two sides have worked closely in the field of administrative assistance, with cracking down on cigarette smuggling and fraudulent activities as the priorities. Minister MU said that China and the EU have already attained breakthroughs in the cooperation of IPR protection: communication channels have been set up for dialogue and exchange of information and experience; data exchange on IPR infringement cases have been conducted and the text of the Action Plan on China-EU IPR Enforcement Cooperation is now under discussion. Minister Mu stressed that China Customs has established cooperative relationships with the customs administrations of 26 member states of the EU and  has carried out productive technical and enforcement cooperation with the customs administrations of the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Sweden ,in various forms.

It is reported that this has been the third official bilateral meeting between top-level leaders of China and EU Customs since the high-level dialogue and consultation mechanism was established in November, 2005. In the past two years, this mechanism has evolved into an effective platform for the higher authorities of both sides to exchange ideas, share experience, settle disputes and promote cooperation.

The data exchange under the framework of China-EU Pilot Project on Smart and Secure Trade Lanes, which was launched at the end of 2007, marks the opening of a new chapter in the mutual cooperation on such frontier areas as trade security and facilitation. At present, the pilot project is under implementation at the ports of Shenzhen (China), Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and Felixstowe (the United Kingdom). Such kind of customs cooperation will lead to advanced information sharing and greater trade security through data exchange, AEO(Authorized Economic Operator) concept, mutual recognition of control results, common risk rules and the application of electronic seals and smart containers.

Being an important link, customs cooperation between the two sides have become a strong positive force to the development of China-EU economic relationship. According to China Customs statistics, the trade volume between China and EU surpassed 356 billion USD in 2007, a rise of 27% year on year. Being the most important trade partner of each other, China and the EU will continue to have more common interests coming in sight. Based on the good work that has been done before, customs administrations of the two sides will enhance such administrative assistance as intelligence sharing and joint enforcement, strengthen the cooperation in frontier fields and in the filed of non-traditional functions to promote trade security, IPR protection and environmental protection. China and EU are ready to dedicate more efforts to ensure a secure and facilitated trade supply chain.