Shandong continues to optimize the port business environment to facilitate cross-border trade, which has greatly reduced the overall customs clearance time and logistics cost for enterprises.

Zhongrui Taifeng is a new material enterprise in Qingdao, which is in urgent need of chemical raw materials. According to the traditional customs clearance process, it takes at least two days to transport the imported goods to the enterprise after unloading at the terminal. But at present, they went through all the formalities in one day.

Liang Feng, the assistant general manager from Qingdao Zhongrui Taifeng New Material Co., Ltd said that “we produce according to formula. It is impossible to carry on when we are in short of any kind of raw materials. Sometimes it takes two or three days and we have to stop production. Now the raw materials can be transported to our company on the same day of unloading. It really eases our urgent needs.”

In the past, the containers loaded with imported goods should be stacked at the terminal after unloading. And then they will be transported to the specific area for manual inspection. When the Customs department finishes inspection, some goods will be transported back to the terminal before being shipped to the enterprise. From this year on, Qingdao has begun a “ship-side direct pickup” mode. But it’s still a difficult problem to open up the data channel between the terminal and the Customs.

According to Zhang Jun, deputy general manager of Qingdao Qianwan United Container Terminal Co., Ltd, “in the past, I only need to unload the goods from the ship to the yard. Customs inspection is another matter. Now I should arrange yard planners and the order of operation according to Customs instructions. But the Customs department and the terminal have two completely independent systems. It’s rare for us to handle such a real-time mating operation.”

Special efforts have been put into tackling with the difficulties. Under the deployment of the provincial party committee and provincial government, Shandong continues to optimize the port operation process and deepen the customs clearance business reform, of which, “re-engineering of import clearance process” is a key area of breakthrough. Huangdao Customs has launched a joint cooperation program with Qingdao Port of Shandong port Group to tackle the key problems, creating intelligent customs clearance inspection system, increasing equipment in the front of the terminals and setting up a special automatic inspection area.

“Before the containers are unloaded, the Customs pushed the inspection requirements to the terminal company through the system. Then the terminal will make an arrangement for the goods, which will be under the inspection of the machine. And at the same time, the Customs officers will make remote image examination and inspection. If there is no problem, the enterprise can directly pick up the goods at the terminal”, said Meng Zhaoyu, deputy director of Inspection Division One of Huangdao Customs.

According to estimates, after the implementation of this innovative model, an average of nearly 1,000 yuan of logistics cost will be saved for each container, which allows the enterprises to greatly improve the efficiency of imports. At the same time, Shandong also focuses on solving the problem of “always out-of-demand containers and cabins”. Rongcheng carried out the “chartered export” mode. Different from the original “less than container load (LCL)”, all the goods on board belong to a single foreign trade enterprise in Shandong.

Jiang Yutao, deputy head of the Port Supervision Section of Rongcheng Customs Office in Shidao Port, said, “we have tailored a supervision program for the export of perishable goods such as fruit juice. A policy of “direct shipment upon arrival at port” is put into effect. After the first batch of the goods finishes customs clearance, the rest will be directly loaded on board.”

With the implementation of 21 policy initiatives on promoting trade facilitation, such as the “6-hour release of RCEP goods” and the creation of new channels for cross-border e-commerce export supervision, the latest data show that the overall time of customs clearance for imports and exports in Shandong has been reduced by 60% and 89% respectively compared to those in December 2017.

“We closely follow the needs of enterprises, adhere to innovation-based development, strengthen precise services and closely coordinate with Customs and other port supervision departments as well as development and reform, transportation, market supervision and other departments. We strengthen coordination and pay close attention to the implementation of the work to further optimize the port business environment, and help build a new high ground for opening up to the outside world”, said Ding Lianling, director of the Customs Clearance Coordination Department, General Office of People’s Government of Shandong Province (the Provincial Port Office).