Hand in hand: The Hong Kong Customs & Excise Department Commissioner Richard Yuen (left) signs a co-operative arrangement with the Director-General of Japan Customs & Tariff Bureau Yukiyasu Aoyama.

The Hong Kong Customs & Excise Department and the Customs Administration of Japan today signed a pact, pledging to enhance co-operation in fighting transnational customs crimes.

The arrangement also underlines their common desire to co-operate more closely in tackling smuggling and drug trafficking, and protecting intellectual property rights, through arrangements of mutual administrative assistance.

"The co-operative arrangement signifies our mutual commitment to elevate our relationship to a new platform as well as our determination to foster stronger co-operation," Commissioner Yuen said.

So far, Hong Kong Customs has signed such arrangements with 11 customs administrations, including the Mainland General Administration of Customs.