With the support of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) and the Gongbei Customs District have further strengthened their cooperation in inspection and quarantine of food, animal and plant products. On 23 September, José Tavares, Chairman of Administration Committee on Municipal Affairs of IAM, and Zhan Shaotong, Director General of the Gongbei Customs District, signed three cooperation agreements related to inspection and quarantine technologies, pest investigation and monitoring research for fruit inspection, and the implementation of pilot scheme of paperless phytosanitary certificates to further strengthen scientific research cooperation and mutual technical support, quarantine standard enhancement in the related fields, and to continue to give full play to the advantages of “One country, Two systems” for ensuring the safety and quality of the food products of the Mainland and Macao, jointly building a strong bio-ecological security barrier in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and supporting the development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.

IAM sincerely thanks the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Gongbei Customs District for their continuous support to Macao’s food safety and import inspection efforts. Both parties will continue to strengthen technical cooperation and system innovation, implement various cooperative supervision models, and further facilitate cross-border trade between Zhuhai and Macao.

Inspection and quarantine technology cooperation to ensure stable food supply

The three cooperation agreements signed this time include the “Framework Agreement on Inspection and Quarantine Technology Cooperation between the Gongbei Customs District and the Municipal Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government”, in which the two parties agree to jointly promote cooperative scientific research and testing projects as well as technical exchanges between the two parties through regulatory technology cooperation and risk communication and sharing, so as to ensure the quality, safety and stable supply of food, animal and plant products in Zhuhai and Macao.

Preventing invasion of harmful species and building solid ecological security barrier

Besides, in the “Cooperation Agreement on Joint Pest Investigation and Monitoring Research for Inspection of Foreign Fruits Imported into Macao”, the two parties agree to jointly carry out pest investigation and monitoring research for inspection of foreign fruits imported into Macao, which will help improve Macao’s pest monitoring system for the import of foreign fruits, follow the occurrence and distribution of pests in Macao, provide comprehensive and scientific research data for formulating Macao’s inspection and quarantine policies, and prevent the invasion of alien species and the cross-border spread of pests.

Convenient electronic phytosanitary certificates for the public and businesses

The newly signed “Cooperation Agreement between the Gongbei Customs District and the Municipal Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government on Implementation of Pilot Scheme of Paperless Phytosanitary Certificates” is based on the “Feasibility Study on the Application of Electronic Phytosanitary Certificates for Flowers and Seedlings” signed with the Gongbei Customs District in 2017 and the “Cooperation Framework Agreement between the Secretariat for Administration and Justice of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government and the General Administration of Customs on Electronic Certificates for Plant Products” signed with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China in 2019. It further deepens the interoperability and mutual recognition of e-governance in the area of plant quarantine and achieves the paperless process, improving the e-governance level of Guangdong and Macao to make it convenient for the public and businesses.

Representatives of IAM who attended the signing ceremony held at the hall of the IAM Building also included Lo Chi Kin and O Lam, Vice-Chairmen of Administration Committee on Municipal Affairs, Ung Sau Hong and To Sok I, members of Administration Committee on Municipal Affairs, Cheong Kuai Tat, Head of Department of Food Safety and Chio Wai Meng, Head of Department of Green Areas and Gardens.