U.S. and Hong Kong (2002)

U.S. Customs Service
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 23, 2002

Contact: Media Services
Phone: 202-927-8727

HONG KONG SIGNS DECLARATION TO JOIN U.S. CUSTOMS ANTI-TERRORIST CONTAINER SECURITY INITIATIVE

Hong Kong To Target And Pre-Screen Cargo Destined For U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC-Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, today announced the signing of a declaration by Hong Kong to join the Container Security Initiative (CSI), a key U.S. Customs initiative designed to prevent global sea cargo from being exploited by terrorists to inflict harm on America and other nations of the world.

"I applaud Hong Kong for joining the U.S. Customs Service Container Security Initiative. Hong Kong has taken a very important step towards securing the global supply chain of trade, from Asia to the United States," said Commissioner Bonner.

Launched by U.S. Customs in January 2002, the CSI is designed to enhance the security of global maritime shipping, a vital link in world commerce. Some 200 million sea cargo containers move annually among the world's top seaports, and nearly 50 percent of the value of all U.S. imports arrive via sea cargo containers every year.

A core element of CSI involves placing U.S. Customs inspectors at foreign seaports to, with their foreign counterparts, identify and screen potentially high-risk U.S.-bound cargo containers before they are shipped to America. U.S. Customs officials, working with their foreign counterparts, would be in a position to detect nuclear or radiological weapons and materials at these foreign ports, using sophisticated detection technology. Because roughly 68 percent of the 5.7 million sea containers entering the U.S. annually arrive from just 20 foreign seaports, Customs is initially focusing on these "mega" ports as key crossroads in the global trading system.

Under the agreement reached today, Hong Kong becomes an important CSI port in Asia. U.S. Customs will place a small team of U.S. Customs personnel in Hong Kong, where they will work jointly with authorities in Hong Kong to target and screen potentially high-risk cargo containers bound for America.

The port of Hong Kong is the world's largest container port. It ranks number one in the world in terms of the number of cargo containers shipped to the U.S.

Hong Kong is positioned at a key crossroad in the global trading system, with a high potential to detect items of concern. Last year, nearly 10% of all cargo containers shipped to the U.S. by sea entered America from the port of Hong Kong.

Earlier this year, U.S. Customs reached accords with Singapore, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany to exchange Customs inspectors at select seaports to pre-screen containers bound for each nation. The U.S. Customs Service is currently in discussions with several other nations, including countries in Europe and Asia, to implement CSI at additional ports.

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U.S. and Hong Kong (2002)

U.S. Customs Service
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 23, 2002

Contact: Media Services
Phone: 202-927-8727

HONG KONG SIGNS DECLARATION TO JOIN U.S. CUSTOMS ANTI-TERRORIST CONTAINER SECURITY INITIATIVE

Hong Kong To Target And Pre-Screen Cargo Destined For U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC-Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, today announced the signing of a declaration by Hong Kong to join the Container Security Initiative (CSI), a key U.S. Customs initiative designed to prevent global sea cargo from being exploited by terrorists to inflict harm on America and other nations of the world.

"I applaud Hong Kong for joining the U.S. Customs Service Container Security Initiative. Hong Kong has taken a very important step towards securing the global supply chain of trade, from Asia to the United States," said Commissioner Bonner.

Launched by U.S. Customs in January 2002, the CSI is designed to enhance the security of global maritime shipping, a vital link in world commerce. Some 200 million sea cargo containers move annually among the world's top seaports, and nearly 50 percent of the value of all U.S. imports arrive via sea cargo containers every year.

A core element of CSI involves placing U.S. Customs inspectors at foreign seaports to, with their foreign counterparts, identify and screen potentially high-risk U.S.-bound cargo containers before they are shipped to America. U.S. Customs officials, working with their foreign counterparts, would be in a position to detect nuclear or radiological weapons and materials at these foreign ports, using sophisticated detection technology. Because roughly 68 percent of the 5.7 million sea containers entering the U.S. annually arrive from just 20 foreign seaports, Customs is initially focusing on these "mega" ports as key crossroads in the global trading system.

Under the agreement reached today, Hong Kong becomes an important CSI port in Asia. U.S. Customs will place a small team of U.S. Customs personnel in Hong Kong, where they will work jointly with authorities in Hong Kong to target and screen potentially high-risk cargo containers bound for America.

The port of Hong Kong is the world's largest container port. It ranks number one in the world in terms of the number of cargo containers shipped to the U.S.

Hong Kong is positioned at a key crossroad in the global trading system, with a high potential to detect items of concern. Last year, nearly 10% of all cargo containers shipped to the U.S. by sea entered America from the port of Hong Kong.

Earlier this year, U.S. Customs reached accords with Singapore, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany to exchange Customs inspectors at select seaports to pre-screen containers bound for each nation. The U.S. Customs Service is currently in discussions with several other nations, including countries in Europe and Asia, to implement CSI at additional ports.

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