World Customs Journal Customs in international relations: the Indian context1

This paper, adapted from the first BN Banerji Memorial Lecture, uses the Indian context to discuss the role of Customs in international relations, and provides a wide-ranging overview of the impact of customs duties imposed on imports and exports on cross-country relations. Examples are provided of specific instances of, for example, the application of anti-dumping taxes, and the roles of the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in lowering customs duty rates internationally as well as in monitoring unfair competition. The paper concludes that the role of Customs in international economic relations is all-pervasive and growing, and that the growing role includes addressing the many challenges that are present in a globalised world, such as an increased need to monitor contraband, channels of money laundering, and international terrorism buttressed by modern developments in information and communication technology (ICT), highly trained staff with increasingly common international principles, and broadened cooperation with other related departments. 1