Also attending the event were Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh, among others.
Deputy PM Ninh, who is Head of the National Steering Committee on ASEAN and National Single Window Customs Mechanisms, said that the move is a turning-point in accelerating administrative reform towards an e-government.
Vietnam has enacted a number of synchronous measures to speed up administrative reforms, shorten the time required and reduce costs for procedures so as to facilitate business and investment activities among enterprises and individuals.
The national and ASEAN single window mechanisms are important solutions to simplifying administrative procedures in accordance with international practices and standards in order to facilitate trade, investment and tourism.
Through the implementation of the mechanisms, Vietnam is determined to carry out its commitments to working with other ASEAN countries to realise the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community by the end of 2015, Ninh stated.
On this occasion, Vietnam connected the ASEAN single window customs mechanism with Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. With a total population of around 625 million and total GDP of more than US$ 2.5 trillion, ASEAN holds an increasingly important position and role in the region and the world. However, the advantage will be brought into full play only once all member states work towards a sustainably developing ASEAN.
The Government official called for close coordination among ministries, sectors, and domestic foreign organisations to make the ASEAN and national single window customs mechanisms effective and beneficial to businesses and people.
From 2015-2016, the steering committee plans to connect the national OSS with the ASEAN single window mechanism, share information on the ASEAN certificate of origin form D and the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document for Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Between 2016 and 2020, the mechanism will be made available to all ministries and sectors in the form of online public services while extending information sharing with trade partners within and outside ASEAN regarding the flow of exports and imports via the ASEAN single window portal.
