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HK/US joint efforts to combat illegal transhipment
Following a meeting between the Government and the US Customs Service in Washington on Monday (October 28), both governments agreed to co-operate and continue their joint efforts to combat illegal transhipment activities, a government spokesman said today (Wednesday).
The meeting was convened as part of the ongoing and positive dialogue between the Hong Kong Customs and their US counterparts on this subject.
Leading the Hong Kong team at the meeting was the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Lawrence Li, and the US side was led by the Deputy Commissioner of US Customs, Mr Sam Banks.
The spokesman said it was agreed at the meeting that before the end of the year, representatives from the New York Strategic Trade Centre of the US Customs would visit Hong Kong to continue discussions with officials of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department and Trade Department on data analysis. The joint factory visit programme initiated in September would also be continued.
"It was agreed that both government remained strongly committed to eliminating illegal transhipment." he said.
At the meeting, US Customs officials announced the following actions:
US Customs would remove the single entry bonding requirements on all shipments within categories 443 and 643 (suits).
At this point. the single entry bonding requirements would continue for the remaining eight categories, i.e. categories 342/442/642 (skirts), 351 (nightwear), 352/652 (underwear) and 336/636 (dresses)
US Customs would continue to monitor the "watch list" of four categories, i.e. categories 331 (cotton gloves), 338/339 (cotton knit shirts), 348 (women's cotton pants), and 350 (cotton dressing gown), introduced since September 1 without invoking any single entry bonding or additional import measures. This is an extension of the initial 30 day time frame.
The US will take appropriate action based on the joint team findings on any goods that transhipping companies ship or have shipped.