Commissioner of Customs and Excise Louise Ho Pui-shan (right) accompanies Vice-Minister of General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China Lv Weihong (left) during a visit to the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link on Nov 27, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - Commissioner of Customs and Excise Louise Ho Pui-shan and Vice-Minister of General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China Lv Weihong signed an arrangement on Monday on smart customs development that is also expected to help foster growth in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Ho welcomed Lv's visit to Hong Kong Customs with her delegation and said that the signing of the Cooperative Arrangement on Smart Customs Development lays a solid foundation for mutual cooperation, according to a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government statement.

Ho said Hong Kong Customs will also deepen and widen its role in promoting the development of the GBA to contribute to the prosperity and stability of the country

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“The integration of Smart Customs helps to expand the scope of cross-boundary collaboration between both Customs administrations..as well as serving as a major key for Hong Kong Customs in fostering the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” the statement reads.

Ho said Hong Kong Customs will deepen and widen its role in promoting the development of the GBA to contribute to the prosperity and stability of the country.

The delegation also visited the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link to learn about Hong Kong Customs' passenger clearance operations.

Commissioner of Customs and Excise Louise Ho Pui-shan (right) and Vice-Minister of General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) Lv Weihong (left) sign the Co-operative Arrangement on Smart Customs Development between the GACC and Hong Kong Customs at the Customs Headquarters Building on Nov 27, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Meanwhile, the GACC and the Environment and Ecology Bureau of the HKSAR government signed an agreement on ensuring the safety and facilitating customs clearance of Hong Kong food products exported to the Chinese mainland.

The agreement seeks to shorten the time required for customs clearance for Hong Kong food products, further enhancing their safety and facilitating trade.

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It will initially cover three major food categories of food: Beverages and cold drinks (excluding alcoholic and dairy beverages); biscuits, pastries and bread; and candies and chocolates.

According to the Census and Statistics Department, the export volume to the mainland of these food products in 2022 was over 46.4 million kilograms and worth approximately HK$2.88 billion ($369.72 million), accounting for approximately 75 percent of the total value of all Hong Kong-manufactured food exports to the mainland that year.