US-ASEAN Business Council Continues to Support Modernization in Trade Reform at the 33rd Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs
(Phu Quoc, Vietnam) On June 5 to 6, the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) brought a delegation of U.S. businesses to the 33rd Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. The delegation was co-led by Mr. Vu Tu Thanh, US-ABC’s Deputy Regional Managing Director & Chief Representative for Vietnam and Ms. Shiumei Lin, Vice President, Public Affairs & Sustainability, UPS Asia Pacific Region and Chair of the US-ABC’s Customs & Trade Facilitation Committee.
During the plenary session between US-ABC and all ASEAN Customs DGs, the delegation presented its recommendation paper entitled “ASEAN Customs Reform to Advance Regional Supply Chain Resilience”, which highlighted proposed priority reforms required for ASEAN to be a regional base and marketplace as well as to develop a holistic ecosystem for cross border e-commerce and digitalization.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to present the US private sector’s key recommendations to the Directors-General from ASEAN” said Mr. Vu Tu Thanh. “ASEAN remains an important partner for the United States and we look forward to seeing ASEAN maximize its economic gains through adopting cutting-edge technologies, facilitating e-commerce, and fostering public-private dialogues”, he added.
The delegation also had the opportunity to engage in bilateral meetings with senior officials from U.S Customs and Border Protection, World Customs Organization’s Asia Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building, Japan Customs, Thai Customs Department, Singapore Customs, Royal Malaysian Customs Department, General Department of Vietnam Customs, and the ASEAN Secretariat. Throughout these engagements, the delegation reiterated its commitment as a partner in strengthening the region’s supply chain resilience and investment landscape.
“We call on ASEAN Member States to double down on areas that allow businesses to harness the power of ten” said Ms. Shiumei Lin. “This is even more critical for small businesses who need the scale to grow. American companies are committed to supporting customs modernization in ASEAN and underscore the importance of public-private partnerships in achieving regional integration” she added.