China, after many years of rebuffing U.S. requests, has agreed for the first time to allow U.S. inspectors in the country to verify security compliance of manufacturers and logistics providers whose customers participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Ralph Basham, Customs and Border Protection commissioner, revealed Friday.
Speaking at the Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Associations' Western Cargo Conference in Denver, Basham said he received a call from Minister of Customs Mu Xinsheng on Thursday offering to sign a memorandum of cooperation regarding the on-site visits for the supply chain security program.
China is the only country that has refused to allow access to U.S. Customs teams seeking to validate that foreign suppliers are following security plans submitted by their U.S. import customers and approved by CBP. Under C-TPAT, companies that take steps to meet minimum security criteria for their particular industry sector are potentially subject to fewer time-consuming inspections and receive a handful of other trade facilitation benefits, such as front-of-the-line privileges for containers that are selected for automated imaging at the port.