Online Interview
Topic: Border Trade Promotion by Kunming Customs District in Yunnan Province
Time:09:30 AM (Thu) June 05, 2014
Special Guests:Ma Jun, Deputy Director General of Kunming Customs District; Shi Yi, Director of the Supervision and Clearance Department, Kunming Customs District; Xu Minghai, Director of the General Office, Kunming Customs District
Online Interview Photos
Border Trade Promotion by Kunming Customs District in Yunnan Province
[Wang Hua]: Hello, netizens, welcome to China Customs Online Interview! I’m Wang Hua. In China, it is a state policy to revitalize border areas by supporting border trade. Today, we are in Yunnan Province, the key bridgehead for the opening-up of Southwest China, to learn about the border trade and relevant Customs supervision and support measures. Now we are happy to be joined by the Directors from Kunming Customs, they are Mr. Ma Jun, Mr. Shi Yi and Mr. Xu Minghai. 06/05/2014 9:30:03
[Ma Jun]: Hello, Ms. Wang and netizens! I’m Ma Jun. I am very glad to join this interview. I hope through today's talk, you will gain a better knowledge about the relevant measures taken by the Customs to promote the border trade in Yunnan Province, and I will also answer your questions in this aspect. 06/05/2014 9:30:31
[Shi Yi]: Hi, everyone! 06/05/2014 9:30:39
[Xu Minghai]: Hi, everyone! 06/05/2014 9:30:54
[Wang Hua]: Mr. Ma, we know that Yunnan Province is located in southwest China and called the bridgehead for the opening-up of southwest China. Can you please give an overview of the opening-up and border trade in Yunnan? 06/05/2014 9:31:28
[Ma Jun]: OK. Yunnan Province, as the land bridge linking China with countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia, takes a very important strategic position. It borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, with a borderline of about 4,060 km long. In this province, there are 24 ports and 34 channels under customs supervision altogether. In 2011, the State Council issued the Opinion on Supporting and Accelerating the Development of Yunnan Province as a Key Bridgehead Opened up to the Southwest. Since then, the policy of developing Yunnan as a bridgehead has officially become a national strategy. 06/05/2014 9:31:54
[Ma Jun]: In recent years, with the support of relevant national policies, Yunnan Province has seen rapid growth in foreign trade and border trade. Here are some figures: in 2013, the foreign trade (import and export) volume of Yunnan Province reached nearly RMB 160 billion, with a year-on-year increase of about 23%, the volume of exchange trade between border residents reached RMB 7.6 billion with an increase of 17%; and the volume of petty frontier trade reached USD 3.3 billion with an increase of 55%. 06/05/2014 9:32:33
[Wang Hua]: Mr. Ma, most people probably do not know the difference between the exchange trade between border residents and the petty frontier trade.Can you make an explanation for us? 06/05/2014 9:33:28
[Ma Jun]: The "exchange trade between border residents" and the "petty frontier trade" are the two different types of border trade in China. Exchange trade between border residents, by definition, is the selling and purchasing activities between border residents. In accordance with the relevant provisions of China, it has three restrictions: It must be the trade of livelihood articles conducted in a certain area along the borderline, in the venues or fairs designated by the government, and within a specified amount or quantity. 06/05/2014 9:34:13
[Ma Jun]: Different from exchange trade between border residents, petty frontier trade is conducted by the enterprises with the right to conduct border trade in small amounts. It refers to the trade activities between the enterprises on the border. 06/05/2014 9:35:29