18th February 2025, Bangkok, Thailand

Mr. Patrick MIHOUB, Customs Attaché at the Embassy of France in Bangkok, along with his colleagues, visited the ROCB A/P Office. Mr. Jun Tajima, Head of ROCB A/P, together with program managers, formally received the French delegation.

During the visit, Mr. Tajima and his team extended a warm welcome to Mr. MIHOUB and his delegation, emphasizing the potential for enhanced collaboration between ROCB A/P and French Customs to promote capacity building and customs modernization throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr. Tajima presented an overview of ROCB A/P’s mission, highlighting its role in supporting Asia-Pacific members through targeted capacity-building initiatives. He emphasized the importance of the Annual Needs Survey in identifying members' specific requirements. Mr. Tajima also summarized recent activities, including regional and sub-regional workshops focusing on integrity, trade facilitation, e-commerce, and HS classification. Additionally, he detailed ROCB A/P's engagement with various WCO projects, including the passenger and cargo control program, and environmental programs, stressing the need for strategic coordination to optimize resource utilization and prevent redundancy.

Mr. MIHOUB, responsible for customs collaboration across Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, articulated France’s commitment to advancing customs modernization and fostering robust enforcement cooperation within the region. He outlined the broad scope of activities undertaken by the French Customs post in Bangkok, including technical cooperation, trade facilitation, support for French companies, law enforcement, and intelligence gathering. Mr. MIHOUB highlighted French Customs' expertise in areas such as drug enforcement, tobacco trafficking, and intellectual property rights. Discussions focused on identifying opportunities for synergistic initiatives, including the possibility of French Customs providing expertise in various capacity-building activities. Specific areas of interest included supporting K9 units in Asia and collaborating on container targeting programs. Both parties acknowledged the importance of leveraging French Customs' extensive experience and knowledge in customs matters.

The visit concluded with a mutual commitment to strengthening cooperation between ROCB A/P and French Customs. Both parties expressed eagerness to explore collaborative ventures that bolster capacity-building efforts and improve customs efficiency across the Asia-Pacific region.

 For more information, please contact ROCB A/P at rocb@rocbap.org