Doing business with China is set to become even easier under new China – New Zealand border initiatives currently underway, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

Wellington, 19 April 2016 -Our customs agencies have agreed to launch a new Joint Electronic Verification (JEV) system to streamline and accelerate customs clearance procedures,” Ms Wagner says.

“Currently exporters and brokers are required to provide a Certificate of Origin to prove that their goods are of New Zealand Origin and to gain tariff preference.

“Under the new Joint Electronic Verification System initiative, exporters will need to enter their unique Certificate of Origin reference number on their electronic export documents, which will then be matched to the electronic data shared between the two agencies.

“Moving to an electronic verification system will make goods trade between our countries even easier, while significantly reducing the risk of New Zealand goods being held up at the Chinese border because of minor technical issues.

“New Zealand will be the first country to have a Joint Electronic Verification System with China, which will be launched later this year.

“China is our largest goods trading partner, with two-way trade more than doubling since the NZ-China FTA came into force.

“I am pleased our Customs agencies are working together to make it easier for our businesses to maximise the trade opportunities created by the FTA,” says Ms Wagner.