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The first meeting of Indian and Chinese delegation to discuss modalities for operationalisation and effective implementation of the Custom Cooperation Agreement so as to put it to optimum use was held here today. The Chinese delegation was headed by Mr. Ye Jian, Vice Minister, General Administration of China Customs and Shri A.K. Singh, Chairman, Central Board of Excise and Customs led the Indian delegation. The two sides had useful exchange of views on customs matters particularly relating to prevention, detection and investigation of customs offences. They shared their experiences and finalised modalities to establish efficient channels of communication for meaningful and timely exchange of information and intelligence.
Both sides emphasised that international cooperation is essential for combating smuggling and customs commercial frauds as crucial evidence in such cases often lies outside the national boundaries. The agreement with China is particularly significant as Indo-China trade has already exceeded $13 billion and is growing rapidly. With this Customs Cooperation Agreement in place, it will be easier for both sides to fight the menace of smuggling and customs commercial frauds more effectively.
The agreement, signed between India and China on April 11, 2005, in respect of bilateral trade enables:
Accurate assessment of customs duties and other taxes collected on imported goods;
Proper enforcement of prohibition, restriction and controls;
Detection of false declaration with regards to value, description and origin of goods.
Exchange of information relating to new trends and modus oprandi of smuggling and other customs offences
Timely sharing of intelligence about smuggling and other customs frauds;
Sharing of the best practices in customs, procedures and trade facilitation.
India has already signed 12 such agreements covering 36 countries. Similar agreement with other important trading partners, e.g. UAE, Singapore, Australia, Brazil etc. are also in the process of finalization.
BSC/BY-236/05
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