China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) began a new round of cooperation efforts yesterday in Beijing to achieve the free, safe and fair flow of goods and services in China.
Under the three-year (2002-05) program with more than US$29 million in volunteer assistance by the UNDP, China plans to finish legislation outlining customs protection on intellectual property, application rules for customs valuation and rules of origin, officials said.
China customs has been facing challenges in increasing its transparency and efficiency in customs administration after the country's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Following WTO entry, a newly launched program was created aimed at helping China create and amend legal regulations related to customs law, improve the application standards of customs technology and perfect its information management system.
Addressing an initiation ceremony for the program, Liu Wenjie, GAC's deputy director, said China will train professionals who are proficient in both WTO regulations as well as customs work, and then improve the general enforcement standards of customs. Liu was confident that with the help of the UNDP, transparency in customs procedures will be further increased.
Four Chinese customs-related laws and more than 20 regulations will be revised and legislated during the three-year program.
(China Daily July 9, 2002)
