In line with the central government’s requirements to support the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the CHINA RAILWAY(CR) Express amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) rolled out 10 measures on February 24 to promote trade along the CR Express line. Efforts will be made in reducing number of times and costs of declaration, advancing the construction of transport hubs and supporting multimodal transport, among other areas.
Here are the 10 measures:
1. Allow enterprises to choose clearance modes.
Businesses can choose to proceed with clearance formalities for goods transported by CR Express either at ports of entry/exit or at local customs, except for the quarantine formalities that must be completed at ports of entry according to laws and regulations.
2. Reduce number of times and costs of declaration.
If waybill information contained in different CRE manifests is the same in terms of port of entry/exit, date, train number, consignee/consignor in China, contract and commodity name, enterprises may apply to Customs for manifest consolidation so as to reduce number of times and costs of declaration.
3. Promote the implementation of “C-TOP” cooperation initiative.
China Customs will enhance the implementation of “Customs-Train Operators Partnership for Secure and Expedited Clearance of CR Express Carried Goods (C-TOP)” in support of data exchange and information sharing among customs authorities in countries and regions along the CRE line, so as to further facilitate CR Express cross-border transportation.
4. Support the construction of transport hubs.
To further unleash the transport capacity of CR Express, China Customs will, where necessary, support the construction of CR Express transport hub stations at suitable places, where domestic/foreign-trade goods from different places can be consolidated.
5. Support multimodal transport business of CR Express.
China Customs will support multimodal transport business of CR Express based on railway transport, allow domestic customs transit for CRE goods among multiple customs districts, and promote the convergence of CR Express and New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.
6. Promote non-intrusive inspection.
China Customs will support the construction of designated customs control places at suitable locations where necessary. More non-intrusive inspection equipment will be deployed at railway ports of entry/exit to increase efficiency, together with the application of the AI-based image recognition technology. Normally, goods will not be subject to manual inspection at ports of entry or exit.
7. Support CR Express to expand its business scope.
China Customs will support CR Express’ engagement in transportation of cross-border e-commerce goods, express and postal mails.
8. Enhance AEO mutual recognition with the “Belt and Road”-involved countries/regions.
China Customs will work with other countries/regions along the CR Express line on the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operator(AEO) and implementation of the facilitative clearance measures, helping businesses solve their problems regarding customs clearance. China Customs will also promote cultivation and certification of enterprise credit, so that more enterprises doing business with “Belt and Road”-involved countries can qualify as AEOs.
9. Support the construction of bonded control places.
China Customs will support the construction of bonded control places where needed at key logistics hubs on the route of CR Express, which will boost CR Express development.
10. Enhance information sharing and connectivity.
The paperless Single Window platform will further enhance information sharing and data exchange among customs, railway operators, station operators, CR Express carriers, freight forwarders, and other stakeholders, as well as among all logistics hubs on the route of CR Express, to reduce duplicated data transmission and optimize procedures, making clearance more efficient for CR Express trains.
About GACC
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General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China
Address: No.6. Jianguomennei Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China Postcode: 100730