HK Customs Launches New Mission at Int'l FrontHong Kong Customs will have a greater role to play at the international front with the recent assumption of the office of a vice-chairman of the World Customs Organization (WCO), a senior customs officer said Thursday.Following the recent assumption of the office of a WCO vice-chairman, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department has started to launch a new and important mission at the international front, Customs Assistant Commissioner Lawrence Wong Sau-pui told a media briefing. Hong Kong Customs, in the name of "Hong Kong, China," was elected a vice-chairman of the WCO representing the Asia Pacific region at the WCO's Council Sessions held in Brussels last month. The tenure of the office of the vice-chairman will last from July 2000 to June 2002. "It is the first time Hong Kong Customs takes up such an important role at the international arena, which greatly strengthens the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's status as a separate customs territory working under the principle of 'one country, two systems'," Wong said. The WCO is an independent intergovernmental body with worldwide membership whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of customs administrations in the areas of compliance with trade regulations, protection of society and revenue collection, thereby contributing to the economic and social well-being of nations. |
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