On September 18, Vice Minister Sun Yibiao met with Mr. Clement Cheung Wan-ching, Commissioner of Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department in Hong Kong. The two sides signed the Supplement to the Cooperation Arrangement on Customs Clearance and Tariff Facilitation Measures for Imported Wine to the Mainland via Hong Kong SAR between the General Administration of Customs of China and Customs and Excise Department of Hong Kong SAR (hereinafter referred to as “the Supplement”) and exchanged views on further Customs cooperation.

Customs clearance and tariff facilitation measures for imported wine to the Mainland via Hong Kong SAR have been implemented successively by Shenzhen and Guangzhou Customs Districts since 2010. As of August 2014, 3.6 million litres of wine with value of EUR 28.87 million had been imported to the Mainland under the framework of the Arrangement.

The following three aspects have been optimized under the Supplement to the Agreement: a) Procedures Streamlining by adopting Hong Kong registered wine exporters scheme instead of the Mainland registered wine importer scheme. b) Information Sharing by Hong Kong Customs examining the exporters’ export data and passing it on to the Mainland Customs. c) Clearance Facilitation by trusted valuation scheme applied by the Mainland Customs on the imported wine via Hong Kong SAR. The Supplement will help Hong Kong become the wine trade and distribution center in Asia.

Vice Minister Sun made proposals on further implementing the Supplement. Firstly, to continue the integrated cooperation on knowing the laws, abiding by laws and law enforcement, and to strengthen the publicity and expand its influence, Secondly, to make in-time evaluation on the operation, summarize the experience, and expend the facilitative measures to other ports in the Mainland when conditions are ripe.

The two sides also exchanged views on implementing policies of the central government on supporting Hong Kong SAR’s economic development, deepening law enforcement cooperation, promoting trade facilitation, and developing informatization cooperation, etc.

Ms. Qiu Hong, Deputy Head of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR and Mr. John C Tsang Chun-wah, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR witnessed the signing of the Supplement.