Cooperation | Agreements to counter smuggling, facilitate trade

Two new agreements have been reached with the mainland’s General Administration of Customs.
The agreements, covering the issues of cross-border smuggling and free trade, were signed this week by the Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, and the Minister of the General Administration of Customs, Yu Guangzhou.
The anti-smuggling agreement will enable Macau’s overseeing agencies to establish regular and emergency communications with relevant authorities on the mainland, reducing the risk of smuggling between the MSAR and Guangdong Province.
The second agreement aims to simplify clearance measures for transshipment cargo without the need to clear such cargo twice, under the respective regulatory regimes of Macau and mainland China.
The measure is also intended to allow the two parties to strengthen information sharing and to accelerate transshipment cargo clearance procedures.
According to the Government Information Bureau, the two agreements are part of a strategy to help diversify Macau’s economy and bring the territory’s economic development in line with the China’s development.