Hong Kong has signed a customs arrangement with Chile to facilitate trade during the recent World Customs Organization meetings in Belgium.
Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat signed the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) during a meeting with Director General of the National Customs Service of the Republic of Chile Alejandra Arriaza Loeb on Friday.
The arrangement enables AEOs of both economies to enjoy reciprocal trade facilitation benefits, including reduced inspection rates and prioritized customs clearance.
ALSO READ: HK Customs completes pilot of blockchain-based validation platform for Asia-Pacific
The signing marks the expansion of the Hong Kong AEO network to another South American economy after the AEO MRA signed with Peruvian Customs in December last year.
On Saturday, Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise Li Kin-kei also signed an AEO MRA Action Plan with Coordinator-General of Customs Administration of the Special Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil Felipe Mendes Moraes, officially starting the negotiations for an AEO MRA with Brazilian Customs.
Leading a delegation, Chan attended the 94th Session of the Policy Commission and the 147th/148th Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) Sessions of the WCO in Brussels from Monday to Saturday.
The sessions serve as a pivotal platform for advancing global cooperation on enforcement, trade facilitation, standards development and capacity building among customs authorities.
Hong Kong Customs was also re-elected as the vice-chairperson for the Asia/Pacific region (2026-28) and the chair of the WCO Audit Committee (2026-27) during the sessions.
Chan thanked WCO members for their continued support, adding that it was a privilege for Hong Kong Customs to assume these two roles in making a greater contribution to the global customs community.
He also met with Chairman of the Customs Committee under the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan Akmalkhuja Mavlonov to strengthen collaboration and explore development opportunities.
