Sources from the Port Affairs Office of Shandong Province said on February 17 that to further optimize the business environment and promote trade facilitation, the Port Affairs Office of Shandong Province, in conjunction with relevant departments, issued the Notice on Deepening the Reform of Cross-border Trade Facilitation and Optimizing the Port Business Environment, and a total of 28 measures in 5 categories were promulgated in order to boost further improvement of Shandong Province’s cross-border trade facilitation level.

According to the Notice, Shandong Province will further deepen the reform to the whole chain of customer clearance services, refine customs clearance declaration procedure for imports and exports, improve the inspection service, and carry out the “Early Machine Inspection, Direct Delivery at Wharf” model reform at the port whenever condition permits, aside from implementing “Successive Machine Inspection” for senseless quick customs clearance. In the meantime, it will actively carry out incubation and accreditation of provincial-level public overseas warehouse, push ahead with overseas warehouse optimization and deployment, and perfect relevant functions.

Shandong Province is set to carry out special tour inspection to port charging at different shipping ports within its administrative area, and investigate and deal with the ports’ charging behaviors in breach of laws and regulations such as deviation from the government pricing and guiding price, no clear price marking, and failure to put in place preferential policies, in order to further regulate the ports’ charging order. Also, it will expand application of the Blockchain technology, improve the visualized query for customs clearance process, and further raise the ports’ information technology level.

“With promulgation of the 28 Measures, Shandong Province plans to delegate ship registration authority to lower levels and implement the “Certificate Handling without Shipping Interruption” new mechanism in terms of comprehensive port service, as well as to make improvement in corporate credit incubation, customs-certified enterprise service, and intellectual property protection, etc.”, Ding Lianling, director of the Customs Clearance Coordination Department of the Port Affairs Office of Shandong Province, was quoted as saying.

“All these measures will help improve comprehensive service capability of the ports in Shandong, and provide enterprises with all-around and multifaceted trade conveniences at all levels,” added Ding Lianling.