The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department's initiatives to expedite customs clearance were crucial to the city's development into the region's premier logistics hub, said Financial Secretary Antony Leung in Hong Kong Friday.
During his visit to the Kwai Chung Customhouse, Kwai Chung Container Terminal and Cargo Examination Compound, Leung pointed out "Hong Kong's economic position as the regional logistics hub relies on its capability to maintain a smooth flow of cargo across the boundary."
Leung was impressed by the new measures the Customs and Excise Department has initiated to facilitate the flow of logistics, such as improving facilities at the control points and simplifying procedures for cargo clearance.
Leung applauded the Customs' efforts to re-engineer some clearance processes from front-line to back-end at Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok Control Points which coupled with the installation of the Automatic Vehicle Recognition System would be able to reduce the processing time of a laden vehicle from 45 to about 30 seconds.
(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2002)
