Hong Kong's customs department began hosting the three-day Regional Conference on Smart Customs on Wednesday, positioning itself as a hub for collaboration to accelerate digital transformation in border control across Asia-Pacific.

At the opening ceremony, Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat unveiled the department’s new Smart Customs blueprint, a strategy aligned with the nation’s broader goals of enhancing intelligence and connectivity at borders.

"Hong Kong customs has invested in artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing and big data analytics to harness the bigger opportunities of cooperation and explore future potentials of economic development," he said.

He acknowledged the immense pressure on global customs agencies, which are grappling with record-breaking passenger and cargo volumes.

However, Chan stressed that while disruptive technologies are revolutionising daily operations, the role of human expertise remains irreplaceable.

"In applying the disruptive technologies to assist in our daily work, our frontline officers' expertise and experience remain invariable in steering the technological development," he said.

"Hong Kong customs now leverage advanced equipment, AI and big data to enhance risk targeting and clearance precision in various different fields of work."

Chan also highlighted the critical need for a skilled workforce, stating that the conference serves as an open platform to cultivate talent across both the public and private sectors.

Security Secretary Chris Tang, for his part, said the conference brings together more than 100 leaders and experts from over 30 customs administrations and the private sector across Asia-Pacific.

He said the region now serves as the engine of the global economy, handling nearly 40 percent of the world's merchant trade.

Tang said the explosion of cross-border e-commerce and regional supply chains has led to unprecedented levels of cargo flow, passenger movement and data exchange.

"Traditional customs models characterised by paper documents, manual inspections, fragmented data and repetitive border clearance can no longer meet contemporary trade needs," he said.

He warned that modern challenges, including counterfeiting, drug trafficking, wildlife smuggling and emerging digital trade risks, demand more precise and proactive border controls.

"Against this backdrop, smart customs emerged as a strategic imperative by integrating digitalisation, data intelligence, automation and multilateral connectivity," he said.

"Smart customs, on one hand, facilitates trade by reducing costs and speeds up clearance for legitimate business, on the other hand strengthens border security by detecting risk more effectively."

Across the region, Tang said these initiatives are taking shape around four interconnected pillars, namely data-driven intelligence, digital single window trade, intelligence inspection and multilateral connectivity.



Edited by Thomas McAlinden