Message from the Minister Dear Director General,
I am pleased to inform you that, China Customs has decided to nominate Mr. LIU Ping, Senior Customs Representative, Permanent Mission of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to be candidate for the post of Director, Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate of the WCO Secretariat at the elections to be held during the Council Sessions in June 2015.
With more than 30 years experience in tariff and trade affairs, Mr. LIU is both a leading expert and competent manager in this regard. He worked in Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate of the WCO Secretariat for 8 years, serving as Technical Officer, Senior Technical Officer and Acting Deputy Director. Apart from handling Harmonized System (HS) policy issues, he headed the Valuation Sub-Directorate and was instrumental in ensuring the successful implementation of the Customs valuation objectives of the WCO Strategic Plan. In 2007, he was appointed Director of Office of Rules of Origin in the Headquarter of China Customs, responsible for rules of origin and played a key role in carrying out international cooperation in this area. Remarkably, he and his team completed negotiations of nearly 20 Preferential Trade Arrangements and ensured their effective implementation nationwide. In the meantime, he continued to be deeply involved in WCO tariff and trade affairs and has served for seven terms as Chairperson of the Technical Committee of Rules of Origin (TCRO), successfully leading the TCRO in maintaining its dynamism and responsiveness, and meeting the needs of Members in rules of origin against the background of unprecedented globalization and regional integration. In addition, Mr. LIU is also experienced in WTO affairs. He participated in the market access negotiations on China’s accession to the WTO and had been responsible for the implementation in Chinaof the WTO Valuation and Rules of Origin Agreements. He is currently Senior Customs Representative in the Permanent Mission of China to the WTO. And as such, he is charged with the work related to the WTO Customs Valuation and Rules of Origin Committees and was heavily involved in the negotiations and implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and its Protocol.
Mr. LIU is a WCO accredited expert in rules of origin, Customs valuation and capacity building, and has provided technical assistance to more than 60 WCO Member administrations. He is also lecturer and trainer of several internationally renowned universities, has delivered key note speeches at a number of international forums and published more than 20 works on tariff and trade affairs.
Thanks to his extensive tariff and trade related working experience at both the WCO and the WTO, Mr. LIU is capable of viewing the relationship between trade growth and revenue collection from the perspective of global trade. With “Secure Revenue, Support Trade” being his vision, he has come up with a practical approach to ensure an indispensable role of Customs in helping the world mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis in 2008. If this approach becomes a reality, it will not only bring dynamism into the traditional work of WCO trade and tariff affairs, but also greatly enhance the international profile of WCO as the world’s sole governmental Customs organization to facilitate legitimate trade and realize revenue.
In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the world as a whole is still in economic recession. At the same time, the recent adoption of the Protocol of Amendment for the TFA has cleared the path for its implementation, which will bring significant economic benefit to both developed and developing countries. Meanwhile, Customs administrations are confronted with new challenges and opportunities with regional integration and connectivity gaining great momentum. A sustainable development environment entails continued trade growth underpinned by secured Customs revenue. With Chinabeing the world’s largest trading nation, China Customs is more than willing to work together with other WCO Members to make sure that this will prove to be true.
Since Chinajoined the WCO in 1983, China Customs has spared no efforts in supporting the work of the WCO by acceding to or adopting its key conventions and strategies. In addition, recent years have witnessed China Customs’ further contribution of expertise as well as capacity building facilities to WCO Secretariat and almost all its working bodies. Last year, China Customs set up a Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) with the WCO which demonstrates China’s strongest commitment to providing capacity building support to WCO Members in their future implementation of the TFA. Chinawill continue to be an active and constructive player in WCO tariff and trade affairs, by sharing with other Members its experience in Customs Reform and Modernization so as to achieve mutual benefit and harmonious development.
It is my belief that Mr. LIU’s vision of “Secure Revenue, Support Trade” is in the best interest of the WCO and all its Members. If elected, he will, with his extensive working experience, professional management skill and strong sense of accountability, be an excellent leader of the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate in achieving all its strategic objectives. I sincerely hope that you will give China Customs and Mr. LIU your strongest support.
Thank you!
Sincerely yours,
Mr. YU Guangzhou Minister of Customs The People’s Republic of China
Vision Statement Secure Revenue, Support Trade My Vision Challenges and Opportunities In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the world as a whole is still in economic recession. Trade growth and revenue collection continue to be areas of concern for Customs administrations as a result of the ongoing global economic downturn, the need for structural reform and adjustment, trade protectionism and persistent commercial fraud. At the same time, the recent adoption of the Protocol of Amendment for the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has cleared the path for the TFA to be implemented. WTO Members are now going through their domestic procedures to ratify the TFA, which, upon entry into force, will bring significant economic benefit to both developed and developing countries in terms of trade cost reduction. Negotiations on the Post-Bali Work have resumed aimed at concluding the remaining issues on the Doha Development Agenda. Meanwhile, such plural-lateral trade agreements as the Information Technology Agreement and the Environmental Goods Agreement are also being negotiated for liberalizing trade in those goods. And regional connectivity programs aimed at improving trade growth are being pursued across a number of regions. In a world still without any uniform rules of origin, non-preferential or preferential, the global value chain and the fragmentation of industrial production blurs the concept of country of origin. Free Trade Agreements and other preferential trade arrangements currently under negotiation across the Pacific, the Atlantic, East Asia as well as Africa, continue to pose a challenge to WCO Member administrations regarding their understanding and implementation of rules of origin. The new trends require clear and appropriate policy and technical responses from the WCO. As a global centre of excellence on Customs matters, the WCO is in a better position than ever to assess the impact of the new normal and to assist its Members in tackling the challenges and seizing the opportunities. With Tariff and Trade Affairs representing important components of the Multilateral Trading System, Customs can do a good job in supporting trade growth, ensuring revenue collection, thus contributing significantly to economic competitiveness, global trade growth, sustainable development and prosperity.
How can we do that?
The Key: Strike the Right Balance It is all about striking the right balance between supporting trade growth and securing revenue collection, or, simply, between facilitation and control.
Securing revenue collection should go hand in hand with trade facilitation. As contended in a WCO research paper, TFA implementation would likely have a positive impact on Customs revenue, particularly through increased trade volumes and higher trader compliance. Classification, Customs valuation and determination of origin are the three key steps during the clearance of goods through Customs. Fair, effective and efficient assessment of Customs duties based on timely and full implementation of the relevant international instruments will go a long way in supporting trade facilitation, through reducing cost and lengthy delays at the border. It is a win-win solution.
As the majority of WCO Members are developing countries, the importance of capacity building can never be stressed enough and capacity building should be provided in a very practical, effective and tailor-made manner. A holistic and horizontal approach towards capacity building in tariff and trade affairs should be strategically prioritized, with securing revenue collection geared to trade facilitation and to Customs Reform and Modernization. This will ensure that the available resources are efficiently utilized and that the organizational goals are effectively realized. While new instruments and tools need to be developed, focus should be put on promoting the implementation of the rich pool of existing WCO instruments and tools for capacity building. In this connection, the WCO Revenue Package and other instruments, which provide a good basis for facilitating legitimate trade while securing revenue collection and compliance, need to be constantly updated and vigorously pushed forward.
Cooperation with other inte rnational organizations and partnership with the private sector should be further enhanced with a view to raising the performance, profile and transparency of the Customs work on tariff and trade affairs.
More emphasis should be given to forward-looking research of new trends and issues in the areas of tariff and trade affairs so as to assist the WCO Members in adequately adapting to changes in their respective law enforcement environment.
Serve through accountability and competence If elected, I shall, building on the very good work already done by the WCO, give my full support to the Secretary General by keeping the Directorate dynamic, accountable, professional and highly responsive to Members in ensuring that all trade and tariff goals under the WCO Strategic Plan are achieved. I shall do my best and spare no efforts in supporting Members in every way. Specifically, I shall focus on the following priority areas:
-HS:
- maintenance of the HS as the most successful international instrument of the WCO as a multi-purpose instrument, focusing on the application of HS 2017 and the next review cycle of the HS having regard to the needs of users and to changes in technology or in patterns of international trade;
- uniform application of the HS;
- capacity building in modernization of classification infrastructure and in other practical aspects in relation to the application of the HS.
-Customs Valuation:
- a holistic and balanced approach towards full and uniform application of the WTO Valuation Agreement by developing Members, as part of their Customs Reform and Modernization processes;
- providing guidance on new and complex valuation issues (e.g., transfer pricing, royalties and license fees).
-Rules of Origin:
- assisting Members with understanding, formulating and implementing rules of origin in light of globalization, fragmentation of industrial production and regional economic integration;
- providing practical guidance on origin control, including origin verification and certification.
C.V.of Mr.LIU Ping Senior Customs Representative, Permanent Mission of China to WTO (Sept. 2013- ) Representing China at the WTO on issues relating to trade facilitation (participated in the final stages of the negotiations on the Trade Facilitation Agreement and is deeply involved in its on-going implementation), rules of origin, customs valuation, and E-commerce.
Chairperson, WCO Technical Committee on Rules of Origin (TCRO)( 2008- ) Ensuring TCRO’s dynamism and responsiveness by meeting Members’ needs and improving their capacity building in terms of rules origin.
Director, Office of Rules of Origin, GACC (May 2007-Sept. 2013) Overall management of the Office, providing direction and guidance to its 3 regional Sub-Offices, leading negotiations and inter-agency coordination on rules of origin in Free Trade Agreements (FTA), representing China on the WTO Committee on Rules of Origin, organizing and overseeing nationwide implementation of FTAs and other countryspecific trade policies.
Senior Technical Officer (Jul. 1998-May 2007), Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, WCO Secretariat Providing support to the Harmonized System Committee (HSC) and the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation (TCCV); responsible as technical officer, senior technical officer and Act. Director of Valuation Sub-Directorate, for Custom valuation issues, HS policy issues, capacity building activities, cooperation with international organizations such as WTO, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
Deputy Director, Division of International Tariff, GACC (Jan. 1993 - Jul. 1998) Participated in China’s WTO accession talks, representing China on the TCRO for the drafting of the Harmonized Non-Preferential Rules of Origin.
Customs Attache, Mission of China to the European Union (Oct. 1988-Dec. 1992) Representing China on the HSC and the TCCV; dealing with relations with the EU and its Members States.
Superintendent of Customs, Tariff Department, GACC (Aug.1984 – 0ct. 1988) Preparation for transition of China’s Customs valuation system to the GATT; aligning China’s rules of origin regime with the WCO Kyoto Convention.
For Further Information For any inquiries or questions concerning China’s candidacy for the post of Director of Tariff & Trade Affairs Directorate, WCO Secretatiat, please refer to Ms Yang Liunan, Communication Officer, International Cooperation Department, China Customs
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