SHENZHEN: The sixth World Customs Organisation (WCO) Global Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Conference opened in Shenzhen city of south China's Guangdong Province on Wednesday, gathering over 1,200 officials and representatives from more than 100 countries and regions for a more inclusive and sustainable global trade system. According to China Central Television, the AEO system is a certification system promoted by the WCO that grants favorable treatment to enterprises demonstrating exemplary credit, compliance, and safety standards. The Global AEO Conference is the highest-level global conference in the field and is regarded as the largest capacity building activity of the WCO. The three-day conference is themed "Harnessing the Power of AEO Programs for Inclusive and Sustainable Global Trade". It gathers over 1,200 officials and representatives from various government departments, international organisations, businesses and academia. The conference is being held in China for the first time, showcasing the country's growing potency in the global trade system, according to WCO officials. Edward Kieswetter, chairperson of the WCO Council, stated that the AEO programme is a key part of the trade facilitation framework established by the WCO. China, a major player in global trade, has been successful in implementing the AEO programme. Therefore, it is appropriate for China to host the sixth WCO Global AEO Conference. China had signed AEO mutual recognition agreements with 26 economies by the end of March this year. These agreements covered 52 countries and regions, including 35 Belt and Road partners. China's number of mutual recognition arrangements signed and the number of mutual recognition countries and regions ranked first in the world. Source: Emirates News Agency