Philippines, China renew vow to fight smuggling

Philippine and Chinese customs officials on Tuesday started informal talks on initiatives and countermeasures against smuggling.

In a meeting at the Bureau of Customs ( BOC) main office in Port Area, Manila, Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon welcomed members of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of China Customs headed by Quan Li, chief of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Xiamen Customs.

He assured the visitors that the BOC continues to be on guard against smuggling and that international cooperation is significant in this campaign.

“This renewed commitment of both China and Philippine customs to fight smuggling is a strong signal and warning to smugglers to rethink and stop their illegal trade," Faeldon said in a statement.

On the other hand, the China customs delegation expressed confidence that both countries will double efforts towards a more effective information sharing and intelligence work focused on anti-smuggling operations.

During the discussion, customs officials of both countries exchanged inputs on how to strengthen and improve communication strategies to put a stop to international illicit trade.

The other members of the Chinese group are: Xiang Yang Di, deputy director of the First Investigation; Xenchu Xu, head of the Third Section of Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Xiamen, Gaoqui Airport Customs; Xhixing Wang and Lingzhi Peng, members of Xiamen Customs' Anti-Smuggling Bureau.