The Customs and Excise Department always endeavours to secure legitimate trade and strengthens the role as an economic development promoter with a view to supporting the “Smart Customs Blueprint”. In an attempt to strive for more trade facilitation benefits for local traders, Office of Supply Chain Security Management (OSCS) collaborated with Ports and Maritime Command to provide priority service to Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operators (HKAEOs) for their applications under the Free Trade Agreement Transhipment Facilitation Scheme (FTA Scheme), as one of the initiatives under AEO 2.0.
Under the new collaboration, HKAEOs, apart from receiving the existing privileges of reduced customs inspection and prioritized customs clearance for their goods, will also enjoy priority when applying for the FTA Scheme. The transhipment consignments of HKAEOs will be granted preferential tariff along with a prioritized processing time within one working day upon submission of the required documents under the FTA Scheme. The extension of benefits aids HKAEOs in saving operating cost and facilitating business development. Hong Kong’s position as a regional logistic hub could be further strengthened with the invigorate development of the logistic industry.
OSCS will maintain close contact with various government departments and organizations and continue to attain more trade facilitation benefits for local traders for them to connect business opportunities within and beyond the region.
