The conference. Photo: Q.H

Representatives of 20 import and export enterprises and of the Provincial Business Association in Lang Son province attended the conference.

At the opening of the conference, Mr. Luong Khanh Thiet, Standing Deputy Director of the Customs Reform and Modernization Board (General Department of Vietnam Customs), emphasized that the World Customs Organization (WCO) identifies the Customs-Business partnerships as one of the ten building blocks that serve as fundamentals of modern customs administrations in the 21st century.

In the Customs Capacity Building Strategy, the WCO states that Customs in the 21st Century should enter into strategic pacts with trusted economic operators. Customs needs to understand the concerns of business, while business needs to know the requirements of Customs. Most importantly, there is a need to translate this relationship into a partnership that results in mutually beneficial outcomes”.

Over the past time, the Customs has supported effectively and legally the business community, showing the content of partnership.

“The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) has conducted surveys at some local Customs department deploying the development of Customs-Business partnerships, aiming to implement objective and comprehensive assessment of achievements in the development of Customs-Business partnerships and related parties over the past 10 years, and propose solutions to improve operational efficiency in the near furture.

At the same time, the GDVC promptly honor and reward organizations and individuals who have made positive and highly effective contributions to the development of Customs-Business partnerships and related parties,” Mr. Luong Khanh Thiet said.

At the conference, the representative of the Customs Reform and Modernization Board introduced an overview of the 10-year implementation of the Customs-Business partnership (2014-2024).

To effectively and smoothly implement the development of Customs-Business partnerships and related parties, the Customs industry has selected and deeply deployed four key solution groups including: Information; Consultation; participation; cooperation.

The Customs agency provides useful information related to legal policies and in-depth operational information to the business community in many different forms.

The Customs exchanges and discusses with businesses and related parties to provide optimal solutions for issues related to the customs control.

The Customs organizes activities with the participation of the business community to perform work related to management; implements cooperative activities with the business community based on consensus and agreement between parties.

The Customs flexibly and diversely applies solutions to support and accompany the business community in the Customs process; listens and understands the concerns and wishes of the business, as well as the business community's desire to provide timely support; gathers feedback from businesses to complete legal documents and activities for more effective development of Customs-Business partnerships.

The workshop receives many opinions from Lang Son Provincial Business Association and import-export enterprises. Photo: Quang Hung

Speaking at the workshop, Vice Chairman of Lang Son Provincial Business Association Dao Trong Tam said that the cooperation between Lang Son Customs Department and the Provincial Business Association is always implemented through the signing of coordination regulations, contributing to promoting the Customs-Business cooperation, and facilitating trade.

At the workshop, business representatives also appreciated the support activities from Lang Son Customs Department, improving the effectiveness of development of Customs-Business partnerships. At the same time, the representatives shared experiences in applying digital transformation in business production activities.

The Customs promotes Customs reform and modernization to process quick customs clearance for businesses, helping the businesses develop. Thanks to the support and instruction from the Customs, businesses have avoided errors during the customs processes.

Some firms also proposed the Customs to arrange a separate working area at Huu Nghi International Border Gate to facilitate businesses in customs processes, and regularly gather opinions from import-export enterprises and transport enterprises to improve management efficiency.