Customs administrations shoulder regulatory responsibilities aimed at ensuring the security of international transactions; they also facilitate, to the greatest extent possible, international trade, particularly in today’s competitive world. In fact, their functions go beyond trade facilitation per se. A customs administration can be said to perform four roles: policy advisor, policy implementer, trade facilitator and security provider.
    The present study, based on the experiences of China Customs, aims to identify good practices in enhancing export competitiveness through customs modernization. The paper examines the link between customs operations and export competitiveness, reviews overall principles and patterns for customs modernization, and proposes relevant models. It then examines the modernization of China Customs, including its objective, strategy, major initiatives and measures, as well as the overall impact of a modernized customs on export expansion. Finally, some conclusions and suggestions are provided.