China Customs becomes Uzbekistan’s first “certified operator”AEOThe two sides signed the Agreement on Mutual Recognition between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Customs Commission of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the system of "certified operators", which marks an important step in facilitating trade between the two countries.

Uzbekistan is a friendly neighbor of China and a partner of the Belt and Road Initiative and a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. China and Uzbekistan haveined close cooperation, according to data showing that China and Uzbekistan's gross trade value reached 65.13 billion yuan in 2022, an increase of 25.2% in comparison. The mutually recognized arrangements signed will bring a series of facilitations for AEO enterprises in the two countries, including reducing the rate of inspection of imported goods, prioritizing goods that need real goods inspection, setting up corporate coordinators and prioritizing customs after interruption and restoration in international trade. These measures will significantly shorten the time of goods customs, reduce the trade costs of enterprises, further enhance the level of trade facilitation between the two countries, promote a high level

The AEO system, advocated by the World Customs Organization, aims to provide customs facilities for these companies by certifying companies with a high level of compliance, credit status and security. The Mutual Recognition Arrangement signed this year is the fourth AEO mutual recognition agreement signed by China’s Customs General Agency. So far, China has signed AEO mutual recognition agreements with 52 countries (regions) of 26 economies, including Singapore, South Korea and the European Union. In these agreements, the total number of “Belt and Road” countries has increased to 35, bringing China’s number of signed AEO mutual recognition agreements and number of mutual recognition countries (regions) to the world’s “double first”.

Through the establishment of mutual recognition partnerships with AEO of Uzbekistan, China Customs has further expanded its network of trade partners and strengthened economic and trade cooperation with the Belt and Road countries. This will not only contribute to the growth of trade between the two countries, but will also create a more convenient trade environment for. With more countries and regions signing AEO mutual recognition agreements with China, China will further enhance its position in the field of global trade facilitation and contribute positively to the prosperity and development of the global economy.