The customs authorities of Hong Kong and South Korea will enhance cooperation through the settingup of an immediate notification system and a dedicated contact point to deal with cyber crimes, Commissioner of Hong Kong CustomsTimothy Tong said in Hong Kong on Friday.

Tong headed a delegation to the two-day 25th Customs Cooperation Conference with South Korean counterparts led by Commissioner Kim Yong-Duk held in Hong Kong on Friday.

He said the immediate notification system, set up to expedite enforcement action, is extremely important especially for investigation into dangerous drugs and money laundering cases thatrequire prompt customs intervention.

Contact points will also be set up between the two customs administrations to enhance cooperation in tackling cyber crime over the Internet on intellectual property rights.

It is timely to strengthen cooperation with South Korea Customs,Tong said, adding that Hong Kong Customs is actively stepping up cooperation with the movie industry and considering enforcement action against piracy activities using the peer-to-peer file-sharing software over the Internet.

The conference offered a platform for the two customs agencies to discuss further avenues to enhance cooperation on law enforcement. It also highlighted the importance of regional and international cooperation to combat transnational crimes like drugtrafficking and cigarette smuggling, and protection of intellectual property rights.

The two parties have agreed the right balance be maintained between cargo security and trade facilitation, updated each other on the recent strategic and technological developments, and discussed various issues of mutual and regional concern.

Source: Xinhua