City works to optimize customs clearance

As a logistics hub in Northeast China, Shenyang in Liaoning province has optimized its land transport network and ensured that its customs clearance is smooth and barrier-free, local officials said.

On March 28, a cargo train filled with auto parts and machinery departed from Shenyang to Duisburg in Germany. It was the first China-Europe train in Liaoning to exit the Alashankou port in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for Europe.

The opening of the Alashankou port complements the entry and exit routes of Shenyang via Manzhouli, North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Suifenhe, Heilongjiang’s largest land border port, and Erlianhot, Inner Mongolia.

“We strive to create a diversified and three-dimensional platform. The current simultaneous operation of four ports has improved delivery efficiency and saved us transport time. Enterprises can flexibly choose port stations according to the destination of the goods, which increases the turnover of goods and reduces the cost for customers,” said Zhou Hao, head of the land transport division of Sinotrans’ branch in Northeast China.

In 2020, Sinotrans’ China-Europe train in Shenyang made new breakthroughs in business volume and models, thanks to the tailormade policies of the Shenyang Customs, he added.

To ensure the train’s smooth operation, Shenyang Customs learned about the exported goods of the first train in advance and set up a special working group for the customs clearance of the train, providing “one-to-one” tailor-made services.

Shenyang Customs has opened up a green channel for the first train and facilitated the appointment for customs clearance to ensure that goods are “checked on arrival and released when qualified”.

“At the same time, we have promoted the business reform by implementing the ‘zone-to-port direct connection’ model of ‘one delivery, one declaration, one loading and unloading, and one inspection and release’,” said Wang Huan, chief of the supervision section of the Liaozhong Customs, a subsidiary of Shenyang Customs.

Through model optimization, favorable policies, unblocked trade and regional development plans, Shenyang Customs has helped to promote foreign trade.

In February, the number of train traffic in Shenyang ranked among the top seven in the country.

The current China-Europe freight train supervision site has been expanded from the original 10,000 square meters to 18,000 sq m, and the storage capacity has been increased from 320 containers to 750 containers.

Wang said that in the future, Shenyang Customs will introduce more policies to make the ChinaEurope trains run faster and smoother.

ZHANG FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY Staff members from Shenyang Customs check goods on a China-Europe train in Liaoning bound for Europe.