Scene of the press conference announcing Việt Nam as the hosts of the 33rd ASEAN Customs Directors-General Meeting on Tuesday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI Vietnam Customs will host the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Customs Directors-General Meeting from June 4 to June 6 in Phú Quốc City, Kiên Giang Province.

At a specialised press conference held on Tuesday, a representative of the General Department of Customs announced that the meeting will be attended by delegations from the customs departments of ten ASEAN countries, led by their Directors-General, along with Timor Leste Customs as an observer and the ASEAN Secretariat.

High-level officials from partner countries’ customs agencies and international organisations, including the World Customs Organization, Australian Customs, Chinese Customs, Korean Customs and Japanese Customs will also attend.

The private sector will be represented by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, the US-ASEAN Business Council, and the EU-ASEAN Business Council.

The meeting is expected to last two and a half days, covering twelve agenda items focused on discussions to unify programmes and solutions, continuing to implement and achieve the goals set out in the ASEAN Customs Strategic Development Plan 2021-2025.

Key priorities include the exchange of electronic documents via the ASEAN Single Window, the implementation of the ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS), and the roadmap for the mutual recognition agreement on Authorised Economic Operators within ASEAN.

The meeting will also serve as a forum for ASEAN Customs to enhance dialogue and consultation with partners to achieve objectives aligned with the new phase of economic development, such as green customs, building a customs data ecosystem, customs modernisation, electronic data exchange, and simplifying customs procedures for low-value shipments.

According to a representative from the General Department of Customs, hosting this meeting demonstrates Việt Nam's responsibility and full commitment as an ASEAN member. This opportunity also elevates the position and role of Vietnam Customs as a pillar of the ASEAN economic community, adhering to the policy of actively participating and promoting Việt Nam’s role in multilateral mechanisms, including ASEAN.

Since becoming an ASEAN member, Vietnam Customs has successfully hosted three ASEAN Customs Directors-General Meetings in 1995, 2004, and 2014. Thus, Vietnam Customs is making thorough preparations to successfully organise the 4th meeting and the coordinating committee and technical working group meetings during its chairmanship from June 2024 to June 2025, enhancing Việt Nam’s image and status internationally.

As the ASEAN Customs Chair for 2024-2025, Vietnam Customs will strive to fulfill its responsibilities by actively coordinating and promoting timely implementation of priorities on the Single Window, transit, and mutual recognition of Authorised Economic Operators. It will encourage member countries to increase information exchange by sharing experiences and lessons learned during implementation, and close the gap between member customs agencies.

At the same time, Vietnam Customs will actively coordinate with the ASEAN Secretariat and partners for exchanges and consultation, seeking appropriate support resources for implementing ASEAN Customs initiatives, particularly concerning emerging issues related to customs management.

Vietnam Customs hopes that, with its contributions, it will help ASEAN Customs achieve a common goal in the integration process, contributing to building a prosperous and sustainable ASEAN Economic Community and realising ASEAN's vision of 'One Vision, One Identity, One Community'.

Since joining ASEAN, Việt Nam has achieved significant economic growth and development, with its economy expanding nearly 17 times from US$20.8 billion in 1995 to approximately US$430 billion in 2023.

With a population of over 660 million, a GDP of nearly US$3,660 billion in 2022, ranking third in Asia and fifth globally after the US, China, Japan, and Germany, ASEAN is currently one of the most dynamic economic regions in the world. VNS