The Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and the General Administration of the Customs People’s Republic of China (GACC) have formed a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Single Window cooperation and integration.
Both sides held their first consultation session virtually in March, which was attended by officials from the PSW Company, China Customs, and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
During the consultation session, China Customs and the PSW gave presentations on their respective single window programs, followed by a focused discussion on the cooperation mechanism and scope of data exchange. The two sides agreed to establish a JWG to devise the coordination mechanism and facilitate technical discussions between them for the proposed integration.
The GACC and Pakistan Customs are already exchanging trade valuation data through the Electronic Data Exchange mechanism, which helps them detect under/over-invoicing and counter trade-based money laundering in bilateral trade. Integration between the two Single Windows will expand the current data exchange to include the complete transmission of the Goods Declaration data, Phyto-sanitary certificates, Certificates of Origin, and shipping and logistics data to enable the execution of advanced risk management techniques and the expeditious clearance of goods.
Both sides have also agreed to cooperate to implement blockchain technology on the lines of similar initiatives being executed by the GACC with other countries.
China is Pakistan’s biggest trading partner, being the top country of origin for the import of industrial and consumer goods, and is the second-biggest export destination after the United States. The Government of Pakistan is digitizing the entire cross-border trade ecosystem under the PSW initiative and intends to integrate with regional and global data platforms on trade finance, shipping, and customs clearance.
The PSW was initially rolled out in July 2021, and its integration with commercial banks for the exchange of cross-border trade-related financial information is complete. It recently launched the Trade Information Portal of Pakistan to provide a single access point for all import, export, and transit-related information, and has also begun offering services for online application and the processing of import permits, and Phyto-sanitary certificates on the imports and exports of agricultural goods and commodities regulated by the Department of Plant Protection.
Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif, new PM of Pakistan. Ray of light in a dark place. Inshallah