Mainland Customs to further embrace CEPA

By the end of 2014, goods worth a total of US$8.56 billion had been imported to the mainland from Hong Kong and Macau, with preferential duty reaching some RMB4.71 billion. The latest data was released yesterday by the General Administration of Customs of China showing these figures since the Mainland-Hong Kong and Mainland-Macau Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement was put into practice in 2004.
Goods from Hong Kong and Macau were worth US$8.47 billion and US$85.86 million, respectively, while preferential duty was 4.67 billion yuan and 44.18 million yuan, respectively.
The spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs of China, Zhang Guangzhi, said that Customs would discuss the promotion of the electronic version of the certificate of origin in order to simplify procedures during border crossing and further promote the Mainland-Hong Kong and Mainland-Macau Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.
When meeting with the Director General of the Customs Service, Lai Man Wa, in Beijing last week, Director of the Board and Minister of General Administration of Customs of China, Yu Guangzhou, said that both sides would work on more simplified border crossing procedures, enhance co-operation in law enforcement, and better communicate on major projects, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. The newly inaugurated Macau Customs Chief, Lai Man Wa, also pledged to enhance co-operation under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework with her mainland counterparts.