Chile, Singapore, New Zealand Sign Deal to Improve Trade, Customs Procedures

Chile, Singapore and New Zealand recently signed an agreement to improve trade cooperation and streamline customs procedures in the digital economy, a July 7 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The deal, signed last month, requires the three countries to make all trade administration documents available online and establishes a single window through which companies can submit import and export documents “through a single entry point,” the HKTDC said. The agreement also improves a range of customs measures, including expedited processing for express shipments, where the countries’ customs authorities will release certain goods with minimum documentation. The authorities will also release certain express shipments within six hours of receiving the required customs documents regardless of the shipment’s weight or value, the report said, and allow a single submission of information for all goods contained in an express shipment.