Israel's representative to Taiwan, Raphael Gamzou, signed an agreement with Taiwan Thursday on mutual assistance and cooperation in customs affairs designed to ensure trade security, convenience and efficiency. It was the third agreement of its kind that Taiwan has reached with various trade partners following similar deals with the United States and the Philippines. Taiwan and Israel began to negotiate the agreement in April and the Executive Yuan authorized Taiwan's representative office in Tel Aviv May 6 to sign the agreement. Ting Kan-cheng, Taiwan's representative to Israel, signed the accord in the Israeli capital the following day. Gamzou's signing completed the process of sealing the bilateral agreement. Gamzou inked the pact in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance, with Vice Minister of Finance Chang Sheng-ho and Doron Arbely, head of Israel's customs administration witnessing. Addressing the ceremony, Gamzou said that although both Taiwan and Israel are small countries, they are high-tech superpowers. The newly signed agreement will further boost bilateral cooperation in technology and other fields, he added. Finance Ministry officials said the two countries will hereafter strengthen cooperation in thwarting smuggling and upgrade customs inspection efficiency. 