On invitation of the Chinese Chamber for International Commerce, the WCO, represented by its Director for Capacity Building, Erich Kieck, participated in the 2015 East Asia Trade and Investment Facilitation Forum on 23 September 2015 in Weifang City, China. The Forum was opened by Mr Wang Shujian, the Vice Governor of the Shandong province and brought together government and business representatives from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea to examine opportunities for deepening trade and investment between the three countries. The WCO shared with the Forum how its instruments and tools, including the Mercator Program, are already supporting governments with the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organization.
The opportunity of the Forum was also used to visit the Weifang Customs office. During this visit, the head of the office, Mr Zhang Yue, shared the integrity promotion program of his office, including a wall with the integrity pledges and commitments made by every staff member.