Government Working on New Five-year “Barrier-free Customs Clearance” Plan

       The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) is coordinating with relevant government agencies regarding the formulation of a new five-year (2007-2011) “Barrier-free Customs Clearance” plan designed to further reinforce Taiwan’s barrier-free customs-clearance services. The plan will center on facilitation, security, internationalization, and intelligent operation in the establishment of a ubiquitous “one-time sign-in” customs clearance service.

The CEPD notes that a new plan for constructing a high-quality economic and trade environment and network will introduce an advanced wireless communications technology and call for the use of its ubiquitous nature to build a quality supply-chain infrastructure for Taiwan. It will also call for the linkage of domestic and overseas economic and trade, logistics, and funds-flow platforms, thereby helping the island become a world-class logistics services hub. Furthermore, in response to the “Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade” as announced by the World Customs Organization (WCO) on June of 2005, Kaohsiung Harbor will be designated as the pilot port for promotion of a secure global supply chain.

The CEPD also points out that the government has been working to build up an barrier-free customs-clearance environment since 2002. This effort has already resulted in the establishment of an integrated “Trade Facilitation e-Network” and achievement of the staged target of the APEC’s 2005 paperless trading program; establishment of an Internet ASP sea and air shipment customs declaration system, and provision of diversified customs declaration channels through Internet verification services together with natural person and industrial/commercial certification; and establishment of an MTNet single-window service platform for ports as well as  integration of reporting operations for Keelung, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Hualien harbors, enabling users to carry out reporting, inquiry, and implementation of business at different harbors with a single sign-in mechanism.

Statistics show that since the Trade Facilitation e-Network went online, import inspection applications have taken an average of less than six minutes and import/export inspection and quarantine applications have brought a reply in under three minutes, all with 95% accuracy. This allows importers to pick up their goods and exporters to get their shipments on the way quickly, saving them a total of about NT$100 million every month. In addition, import customs-clearance efficiency as broadly defined has been enhanced from an average of 7 days to 4 days, and the broadly defined export customs-clearance efficiency has been improved from an average of 4 days to just one day. This has made the operation of domestic and overseas supply chains much more efficient.

Back to News Page