Chen Siqi

vankochensq@163.com

THE WCO Global AEO Conference is gearing up for its sixth edition, which will be held in China for the first time. It is scheduled to take place at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District from May 8 to 10.

The announcement was made during a press conference at the China Customs AEO Training Base (Shenzhen) in Longgang District yesterday. AEO stands for authorized economic operator.

The three-day event, themed “Harnessing the Power of AEO Programmes for Inclusive and Sustainable Global Trade,” will include an opening ceremony and feature 14 forums and seminars. The conference aims to convene key stakeholders from across the globe to discuss the current trends, opportunities, challenges, and transformative potential of AEO programs.

Initiated by the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 2012, this conference takes place every two or three years and has previously been hosted in South Korea, Spain, Mexico, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates.

As of now, the organizers have received over 330 registrations, including representatives from globally renowned companies such as Amazon, Volvo, and Huawei, as announced by Pan Chuxiong, deputy director-general of Shenzhen Customs, during yesterday’s conference.

The AEO concept is based on the Customs-to-Business partnership introduced by the WCO. Customs will first authorize and recognize enterprises with good compliance, credit status, and security measures before granting them facilitation and preferential treatment, designating these companies as AEO enterprises.

Crucially, the AEO status bestowed by one member state is acknowledged by customs authorities in all member states.

Ahead of the conference, a media delegation organized by Shenzhen Customs visited the Shenzhen training base and AEO-accredited enterprises yesterday to gain insights into the efforts undertaken by Shenzhen Customs and to better understand the AEO framework.

Shenzhen STMicroelectronics Co. Ltd., an AEO-certified entity since 2021, has significantly benefited from this system.

“Since joining the AEO system, our inspections have decreased from 50 to eight times a year, leading to a substantial increase in export logistics efficiency and resulting in a more timely product supply to customers,” Li Jianhua, vice general manager of Shenzhen STMicroelectronics, told the media delegates yesterday. He added that the training provided by Shenzhen Customs has enabled the company to effectively and practically adhere to regulations.