ASEAN customs leaders gathered in Phu Quoc island of Mekong Delta’s Kien Giang province on June 4-6 to discuss best practices for customs management and trade facilitation.

At the 33rd Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs, hosted by the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the participants also sought cooperation opportunities in the area, particularly emerging issues related to sustainability, green customs, cross-border e-commerce, and circulation of products of the circular economy.

In his opening remarks, Director General of the Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Can highlighted the country's efforts to effectively carry out initiatives and commitments to realizing the bloc’s common targets, comprising plans to build digital and smart customs.

He said it is time for the ASEAN customs to join hands for a new journey with higher targets on integration and connectivity, helping build a future comprehensive, sustainable and digital economy as stated in the joint statement of the 11th ASEAN Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting in April this year.

The event drew the participation of some 100 delegates from  the 10 ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, and ASEAN partners including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, the World Customs Organization, the US-ASEAN Business Council, and the EU-ASEAN Business Council.