The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Roy Tang, attended the 17th World Customs Organization Asia/Pacific Regional Heads of Customs Administrations Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today (March 17) and signed an arrangement with the Director General of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD), Dato' Sri Khazali bin Haji Ahmad, to mutually recognise the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programmes of Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Under the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signed, Hong Kong companies accredited by the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) as AEOs can enjoy clearance facilitation, such as reduced examination or prioritised clearance, for goods exported to Malaysia. Reciprocally, the C&ED will provide the same facilitation to Malaysian companies certified by the RMCD as AEOs.
This is the sixth MRA that the C&ED has concluded with other Customs administrations after the MRAs with the Mainland, India, Korea, Singapore and Thailand.
Participation in the Hong Kong AEO Programme is free, open and voluntary. Any company engaging in business principally related to the international supply chain is welcome to apply. Since the formal launch of the AEO Programme in April 2012, the C&ED has already accredited 29 companies as AEOs, including multinational companies and small and medium-sized local enterprises.
Ends/Thursday, March 17, 2016
