At the invitation of China Customs, the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, delivered his opening remarks at the online Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) High-Level Seminar on “Smart Customs, Smart Borders and Smart Connectivity”, organized by China Customs on 7 and 8 November 2022.
In his address, Dr. Mikuriya recalled the long-standing cooperation between the ASEM and the WCO since the first Meeting of the ASEM Directors-General and Commissioners of Customs in 1996.He appreciated the theme of the seminar that China Customs has selected, highlighting its relevance to all Customs administrations.In line with the theme, he recalled the WCO’s efforts in supporting the SMART concept in three areas: digitalization of Customs procedures, disruptive technologies, and data strategy.He also touched upon the concept of Green Customs.
Secretary General Mikuriya stated “I am confident that the ASEM Customs members, with the leadership, cooperation and expertise gained over the past 25 years, and in close collaboration with their partners, will further advance their digital transformation strategies in the SMART direction.”
Other high-level speakers included Mr. Wang Lingjun, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), Ms. Anabel González, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ms. Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Over 160 representatives from ASEM Member Customs, international organizations and the private sector attended the Seminar. Mr. Pranab Kumar Das, Director of Compliance and Facilitation of the WCO, attended the Seminar’s High-level Panel Dialogue session as one of the panelists.