17-20 May 2026, Hong Kong, China

The 27th World Customs Organization (WCO) Asia/Pacific (A/P) Regional Heads of Customs Administrations (RHCA) Conference was held in Hong Kong, China, from 17 to 20 May 2026, hosted by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department as the Asia/Pacific Regional Vice-Chair. 

Mr. Jun Tajima, the Head of the ROCB A/P, together with Mr. Deokjoong Kim and Ms. Asuka Nagamatsu, Program Managers of the ROCB A/P attended the conference.

At the opening ceremony, the Asia/Pacific Regional Vice-Chair warmly welcomed participants to Hong Kong, China, and highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and partnerships among Customs administrations in addressing emerging global challenges. 

Mr. Ian Saunders, the WCO Secretary General, shared updates on the WCO’s recent initiatives and emphasized the Organization’s ongoing efforts toward modernization, sustainable development, and digital transformation. During the meeting, the WCO Secretary General also provided updates on strategic priorities and recent developments within the WCO.

Mr. Jun Tajima and Ms. Asuka Nagamatsu introduced the new initiatives of the ROCB A/P for planning, implementation and evaluation of capacity building activities in the Asia/Pacific region. They also highlighted other outcome of their annual activities of the ROCB A/P including RTC Heads Meeting, revision of the Compendium of Training Management in A/P Region, staff report on Single Window, updates on RTC brochure among others.

In addition, Mr. Deokjoong Kim, together with Japan Customs as co-coordinator, provided an update on the Progress Report on Focus Area 3 (Capacity Building) under the Regional Strategic Plan (RSP) 2024-2026. He highlighted the co-coordinators’ efforts in publishing “Regional Efforts on Implementation of International Standards in the AP Region”. Based on the Questionnaire responses from Member Administrations, this report underscores the significance of international standards and reflects the current regional implementation status.

During the conference, discussions were also held on the endorsement of the Regional Strategic Plan 2026-2028, campaign nominations for regional representative positions and the next host of RILO A/P for 2028-2031.

ROCB A/P will continue to maintain close communication with the Asia/Pacific Regional Vice-Chair and Members, strengthening partnerships, and explore further collaboration in the region.

For more information, please contact us at rocb@rocbap.org.