Press Release: Customs cooperation: Commission and China strengthen cooperation on supply chain security

The European Commission and China have agreed to strengthen cooperation in order to increase security and trade facilitation throughout the supply chain. As a first step, they are going to run a pilot project with the aim of creating smart and secure trade lanes between the European Community and China. The pilot project would initially involve the European Commission, the Customs Administration of China and of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Once successful, the co-operation could be expanded step by step to the whole of the European Community. This initiative takes place in the framework of the EU-China Agreement on Customs Cooperation and is the outcome of a meeting between Taxation and Customs Union Commissioner László Kovács and Chinese Customs Minister Mu Xinsheng on 19 September 2006.