Chinese and US customs authorities launched a container security
initiative (CSI) in Shanghai on Wednesday in which officials from
both sides will check ship cargo for terrorist contraband, said the
Beijing-based General Administration of Customs.
"Enforcing CSI in Shanghai, one of China's leading seaports, is
a good beginning for customs cooperation between the two
countries," said Mou Xinsheng, the administration's top
official.
Robert Bonner, US commissioner of customs and border protection,
said, "This is a milestone in protecting trade lanes from the
Pacific Rim to the US," and that his country was "grateful for
China's strong support in helping make a safer, more secure world
trading system."
Under the new initiative, the US will first send its customs
officers to Shanghai, and Chinese customs officials will check
US-bound containers suspected by both sides for terrorist
contraband. The Chinese side will have the opportunity to send
customs officers to major US ports to reciprocate.
Bonner said the move was a genuine celebration of China and US
solidarity in protecting trade routes and the global economy
against the threat of terrorism.
A joint declaration of principle on CSI was signed by the two
countries on July 29, 2003, and the scheme is due to be extended to
Shenzhen over the coming months.
CSI is the world's only multinational program aimed at
protecting global trade lanes and container shipping from
exploitation and disruption by terrorists, Bonner said.
China joins Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Japan
in helping ensure secure flow of goods across the Pacific.
(China Daily April 28, 2005)