Customs and trade facilitation
Bureaucratic delays and “red tape” pose a burden for moving goods across borders for traders. Trade facilitation is the simplification, harmonization, standardization, and modernization of trade procedures. It seeks to reduce trade transaction costs at the interface between business and government and is an agenda item within many customs related activities. It is important issue for the world trading system.
Through the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which came into force in February 2017, trade facilitation provides for expediting the movement, release, and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area.
Advantech is working with customs and border control agencies to harness cross border trade through optimization of border process and ICT for automating the processes. The agencies include customs, immigration, bureau of standards, plant and plant health, port health, sea and airport management authorities among others.