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China's Customs Undergoes Major Reforms
China's customs authority is making substantial reforms and updating its operations to meet the needs of increasing trade flow, a senior customs official said Saturday.
Qian Guanlin, director of the General Administration of Customs, said in opening remarks to the first session of the Subcommittee on Customs Procedure of APEC (Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation) China 2001 that China is in the process of changing customs operations and building an "electronic law-enforcement system" meant to modernize the field.
The reform of customs procedures is a "crucial part" of China's modernization drive in the customs service, Qian said. The existing system has been revamped to separate customs operation, management and supervision.
"We will also use the risk management mechanism and network technology to carry out the duties of our customs in a more scientific, better organized, more reasonable and effective manner, " said the director.
The reforms, which were adopted on a three-year trial basis at some local customs, are now introduced nationwide, he said.
Meanwhile, China is also building "the customs electronic law- enforcement system," which uses computer network technology to include in a general data bank all law-enforcement and management data of departments like customs, foreign trade, public security, taxation, foreign exchange, banking, industrial and commercial management, border inspection and quarantine, and transportation.
All these departments can, if necessary, check information in the network data bank. Enterprises can also go through customs procedures on the network.
The design of the customs law-enforcement network has basically been completed and is being built in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou on a trial basis. Services like customs declaration and foreign exchange payment through computer network have begun," Qian said.
When the reforms are complete, Qian said, China's customs will be one of the most advanced in the world. China's customs will be more efficient, transparent, and its management will be greatly improved, he said.
More than 50 people from 20 member groups of the 21-member APEC attended the first session of the Subcommittee on Customs Procedures, which dealt with simplification of customs procedures, paperless trade, and clean customs operation, among others.
The second session of the subcommittee will be held in Shanghai in August this year, according to Chinese customs sources.
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