The two agreements newly signed with the General Administration of Customs had great significance to the development of Macao, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On.

Mr Chui made his comments during a meeting at Santa Sancha Palace on Wednesday (25 May) with the Minister of the General Administration of Customs, Mr Yu Guangzhou.

Mr Yu was in Macao for the signing of the two agreements: the “Cooperation Arrangement between the General Administration of Customs and the Macao SAR Government on the Prevention and Fight against Smuggling in Waters Managed by the Macao SAR and within Macao’s Land Boundaries”; and the “Cooperation Memorandum between the General Administration of Customs and the Macao SAR Government on Origin of Transhipment Cargo in the Macao SAR under Free Trade Agreements”.

During the meeting, Mr Chui said the General Administration of Customs had established close cooperation with Macao over the years. Such ties had been important in the process – lasting several years – of clarifying Macao’s management responsibility over its nearby waters, said Mr Chui.

The Government would continue working closely with the General Administration of Customs on matters relating to the management of Macao’s waters and to the clearance of shipped goods, said the Chief Executive.

Mr Yu said closer and deeper ties – such as cooperation on a new supervisory system, on information exchange and on law enforcement – between his department and its counterpart in Macao brought mutual benefits in terms of effective management.

Mr Yu added that cooperation on customs matters would reach a new and higher level. This was in line with the Central Government’s vision for optimising customs policy and for further collaboration with Macao.

Macao officials attending the meeting included: the Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak; the Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Mr Vong Iao Lek; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Security, Ms Cheong Ioc Ieng; and the Deputy Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Mr Sin Wun Kao.

Representatives of the General Administration of Customs present at the meeting included: the Chief of the General Office, Mr Zhang Guangzhi; the Chief of the Department of Customs Control and Inspection, Mr Xu Daowen; the Chief of the Department of Supervision and Internal Auditing, Mr Meng Yang; and the Chief of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau, Mr Liu Xiaohui.