A few days ago, the reporter learned from the General Administration of Customs that the Chinese Customs has been actively promoting the mutual recognition cooperation of "Certified Operators" (AEO) in recent years. Up to now, AEO mutual recognition arrangements have been signed with 42 countries and regions from 15 economies, including Singapore, the Republic of Korea, the European Union, Hong Kong, China, Switzerland, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Belarus, Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil, including 18 countries along the Belt and Road.

The Certified Operator (AEO) system is initiated by the World Customs Organization (WCO). In order to achieve the objectives of the Global Trade Security and Facilitation Standards Framework (hereinafter referred to as the Framework), the AEO system aims to promote global supply chain security and trade facilitation by enhancing cooperation between customs and Customs, customs and business, and Customs and other government departments. A system to achieve mutual benefit and unimpeded trade between enterprises. In June 2005, China Customs signed a letter of intent to implement the Standard Framework. In 2008, China Customs officially began to promote international AEO mutual recognition cooperation. Over the past 10 years, China Customs has continuously studied and summarized the AEO system and experience of customs of developed countries (regions), and continuously improved its own AEO system. The mutual recognition of AEO has changed from passive following at the beginning to active leading at present, and has achieved positive results.

First, we will continue to improve the AEO system. China Customs has revised and improved the AEO system several times with The Times. The current AEO system is the Measures for the Management of Customs Enterprise Credit (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures for Credit"), which was implemented on May 1, 2018. According to the "Measures on Credit", China Customs has developed a customs credit management system with unique Chinese characteristics, which organically combines the construction requirements of the national credit system with the WCO AEO system from the initial single system provisions.

Second, we will fully implement AEO facilitation measures. According to the Credit Measures, AEO enterprises with advanced certification can enjoy various customs clearance conveniences, such as exemption of guarantee, application of lower inspection rate, priority clearance, exclusive enterprise coordinator service and export declaration in advance. Taking inspection as an example, the average import and export inspection rate of advanced AEO enterprises in 2018 was 0.56%, 70.37% and 81.21% lower than that of general AEO enterprises and general credit enterprises, respectively. From January to September 2019, the average inspection rate of imports and exports was 0.62%, 65.4% and 76.4% lower than that of general certified enterprises and general credit enterprises, respectively.

Third, we will actively export China's experience and wisdom. Since 2017, China Customs has successively introduced AEO projects with unique Chinese characteristics to international Customs, such as AEO2.0 initiative, enterprise coordinator system, joint incentive cooperation with other government departments, AEO enterprise credit assessment with big data, and Customs enterprise credit management system, which have attracted wide attention.

In the next step, China Customs will speed up the AEO mutual recognition process in accordance with the overall deployment of the "Belt and Road" Initiative and the "going global" strategy of supporting enterprises, so as to help Chinese AEO enterprises enjoy mutual recognition convenience in more and more countries and regions.

We will continue to accelerate AEO mutual recognition cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road and important trading countries, and strive to complete AEO mutual recognition cooperation with institutional and willing countries along the Belt and Road by the end of 2020.

To explore the mode of "one-to-many" regional AEO mutual recognition, study and explore the feasibility of carrying out "one-to-many" regional AEO mutual recognition between Chinese Customs and six East African countries, four South American countries, Eurasian Economic Union and other regional AEO mutual recognition bodies, so as to greatly accelerate the pace of AEO mutual recognition;

Taking the WCO AEO2.0 as an opportunity, to build an upgraded version of China's customs AEO mutual recognition cooperation and implement the "four expansion" : first, to further expand the scope of AEO mutual recognition countries (regions); Second, AEO mutual recognition facilitation measures; Third, further expand the implementation of AEO mutual recognition facilitation measures; Fourth, further expand the international influence and voice of China Customs.