(Yicai) May 9 -- China inked agreements with East Africa's Burundi and Iceland to streamline customs procedures.

China penned mutual recognition agreements of Authorized Economic Operators with the two nations during the World Customs Organization Global AEO Conference held in Shenzhen. The three-day event will end tomorrow.

The move means that AEO-certified companies in China, Burundi, and Iceland will enjoy priority clearance, more relaxed import inspection, and customs liaison services. The deal penned with Burundi is China's third in Africa after Uganda and South Africa, raising the number of such tie-ups with participants in China's Belt and Road initiative to 36.

The customs administration also penned a memorandum of cooperation with Macao’s customs office on exchanging AEO-certified companies' data automatically.

China is a global leader in pacts done to ensure smooth customs processing as the nation has signed these types of agreements with 28 economies, including Singapore, the European Union, and New Zealand, covering 54 countries and regions, according to official data.

China had almost 5,890 AEO-certified firms as of April 30, and they made up 1 percent of all importers or exporters but contributed more than 36 percent of the total trade value.

Editor: Emmi Laine