Customs General Administration Announcement on the Mutual Recognition of AEO between China and Burundi

Customs General Administration Announcement No. 20 of 2025 (Announcement on the Implementation of Mutual Recognition of "Authorized Economic Operators" (AEO) between China and Burundi), the following is the content of the announcement:

Customs General Administration Announcement No. 20 of 2025

The "Arrangement on the Mutual Recognition of the Chinese Customs Enterprise Credit Management System and the Burundi Customs 'Authorized Economic Operator' System" (hereinafter referred to as the 'Mutual Recognition Arrangement') will be officially implemented from March 1, 2025. The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China hereby announces the following:

1. According to the provisions of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement, both China and Burundi mutually recognize each other's "Authorized Economic Operators" (AEOs). Burundi Customs recognizes Chinese Customs enterprises with high-level certifications as mutually recognized AEOs, and Chinese Customs recognizes enterprises certified under the Burundi Customs AEO system as mutually recognized AEOs.

2. When clearing imported goods, the customs authorities of both countries will provide the following facilitation measures to AEO enterprises: lower inspection rates for imported goods, priority inspection for goods requiring physical checks, the appointment of a customs liaison officer to handle any issues AEO enterprises encounter during the clearance process, and priority clearance after interruptions in international trade are restored.

3. Chinese AEO enterprises exporting goods to Burundi must inform their Burundian importers of their AEO code (AEOCN + the 10-digit enterprise code registered with China Customs, for example, AEOCN1234567890), which should be declared to Burundi Customs according to its regulations. Burundi Customs will verify the AEO status of Chinese enterprises and provide the corresponding facilitation measures.

4. When Chinese enterprises import goods from Burundian AEOs, they must fill in the AEO code of the Burundian AEO enterprise in the "Overseas Consignor" section of the import declaration and the "Consignor AEO Enterprise Code" section of the air or sea freight manifest. The format for filling in the AEO code is as follows: "Country Code (BI) + East African Community Code (EAC) + AEO + Year Code (2 digits) + Enterprise Serial Number," for example, "BIEACAEO25012." Chinese Customs will confirm the AEO status of the Burundian enterprise and provide the corresponding facilitation measures.

This announcement is hereby issued.

General Administration of Customs of China

February 19, 2025