General Director Nguyen Van Can and Ms. Louise Ho Pui-shan, Commissioner of Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department

The official meeting between General Director Nguyen Van Can and Ms. Louise Ho Pui-shan, Commissioner of Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, focused on enhancing their effective cooperation in accordance with the Cooperation Agreement on Mutual Administrative Support in Customs Matters. This agreement was signed by the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department on June 28, 2013.

The two sides agreed on specific professional cooperation and defined key directions for upcoming cooperation. In particular, the two sides will focus on improving their effective cooperation in drug prevention and combat by concretizing information exchanges about suspected subjects, routes, shipments and arrests. This will support each side in investigations to promptly and remotely detect organized, transnational drug crimes.

The Vietnamese delegation at a working session with the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department

They also determined to improve cooperation mechanisms in preventing and combating violations of international conventions to which both sides are members such as CITES, illegal transportation of tobacco, and violations of intellectual property enforcement and other customs violations. Accordingly, the two sides agreed to establish contacts in these areas to promptly inform each other and enhance control effectiveness.

The two sides agreed to continue to actively and effectively participate in the Operation Mekong Dragon jointly initiated by Vietnam Customs and China Customs in the fight against illegal transportation of narcotics, wild animals and plants, in regional and interregional matters to further concretize coordinated action in joint control activities as stated in the joint statement reached by the two sides’ leaders.

At the same time, the two customs leaders agreed to enhance their effective cooperation and strengthen control capacity through technical support, seminars, and training on information collection, analysis, and investigation techniques in the coming time. During the working visit, the Vietnam Customs delegation visited and worked at Kwai Chung Seaport and Hong Kong International Airport on the control and prevention of drug trafficking, illegal transportation, and smuggling on sea and air routes. This visit aimed to provide a mechanism for cooperation and coordination in timely information sharing in control activities.