The Symposium

On 5 May 2018, The International Symposium on Belt and Road Construction and Trade Facilitation & 20th Anniversary of Implementation of ATA Carnet System was successfully held at Tang West Market in Xi'an. Jointly organized by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), CCPIT Commercial Certificate Center, and Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC), the event attracted more than 300 delegates from 35 countries, including representatives of chambers of commerce, World ATA Carnet Council (WATAC), customs, enterprises, and media.

CCPIT Vice Chairman Lu Pengqi and Executive Director of ICC-WCF Anthony Parkes addressed the opening ceremony.

 Lu Pengqi

Lu Pengqi said that CCPIT has been devoted to jointly promoting the ATA Carnet system with ICC-WCF and WATAC. With the support and guidance of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), CCPIT will continue to promote cross-border transmission of electronic certificates of origin, help enterprises to benefit from preferential economic and trade policies, and further facilitate trade, so as to contribute to the construction of superior free trade zones and the development of economic and trade cooperation along the Belt and Road.

Anthony Parkes

ICC-WCF Executive Director Anthony Parkes indicated, "There are more than 3660 chambers and tens of millions of entrepreneurs across the OBOR nations. Countries along the belt should ensure the active engagement of chambers of commerce, and their business communities, in OBOR dialogue and project. And all these organizations should become a powerful and an influential voice on the global stage by forging 'tangible cooperation' not only amongst its countries, and also to take up such matters of policy issues bringing your voice to the ICC, supporting our efforts at the appropriate global forums like World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, G20 and so on. Chambers and businesses from OBOR nations should promote and be part of the global standards of doing business that ICC sets."

Lu Jianzhong

SRCIC Chairman Lu Jianzhong's speech focused on Belt and Road construction Promotes International Trade Facilitation. He said, SRCIC would work with WCF and CCPIT to build a community of shared interests, shared responsibilities and a shared future. Mr. Lu called upon all chambers of commerce to join hands to set up international economy and trade standards, to build new cooperative platforms, to promote connectivity, to stick up to multilateral trading system, and to strengthen the liberalization and facilitation of global trade and investment.

Peter Bishop, Deputy Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Chairman of the ICC-WCF International Certificate of Origin Council, and Mr. Ruedi Bolliger, Chairman of the ICC-WCF WATAC also shared their speeches with the audience.

Prior to the symposium, a series of thematic WATAC meetings were held at Tang West Market from May 7-9.

Background Information

World Chambers Federation (WCF)

WCF is ICC's unique and truly global forum uniting the global network of 12,000 chambers and their respective business communities. As well strengthening links among chambers, WCF also helps individual chambers become more productive.

ATA Carnet

ATA Carnets are international customs documents permitting the duty-free and tax-free temporary export and import of goods for up to one year. Carnets are the easiest way to speed through Customs and to save money.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) administers the international customs conventions under which the ATA Carnet system operates while the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF) administers the ATA system and its international guarantee chain.

In every country in the ATA Chain, a guaranteeing organization – approved by its respective Customs and the ICC World Chambers Federation – administers the operation of the ATA Carnet System.  CCPIT Commercial Certificate Center is the guaranteeing organization in China.

With the prior consent of its Customs administration, the national guaranteeing organization can authorize local chambers to deliver ATA Carnets on its behalf. In major trading nations, dozens of local chambers have that authority.

Within ICC World Chambers Federation, a World ATA Carnet Council (WATAC) gathers the national guaranteeing organizations from all countries where the ATA Carnet is in force today.