Online Interview
Topic: What’s New about the 14 Innovative Measures Issued by Shanghai Customs to Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone?
Time:01:30 PM (Wed) June 04, 2014
Special Guests:Zhang Hualu, Member of the Board, Counsel and Group Leader of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Customs Office, Shanghai Customs District Shu Qinfang, Deputy Counsel and First Deputy Group Leader of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Customs Office, Shanghai Customs District Qiu Haiying, Deputy Director, Division of Processing Trade, Shanghai Customs District
Online Interview Photos
What’s New about the 14 Innovative Measures Issued by Shanghai Customs to Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone?
[Zhang Hualu]: In May, during his visit to Shanghai, President Xi Jinping made a very brilliant comment, saying Shanghai FTZ “is a big test field, in which we’ll sow improved seeds, cultivate and tend them carefully, expect a good harvest, and then we’ll promote the experience of breeding improved varieties throughout the country”. 06/04/2014 13:34:23
[Zhang Hualu]: It is neither a “duty-free port” as expected by many people, nor an area in which some special benefits in investment, trade and even livelihood are accessible. The functions promoted by Customs such as bonded exhibition have attracted institutions like Australian National Exhibition & Trading Center and Senlan Shopping Mall to settle down in the FTZ. Thus, ordinary people can buy nice imported commodities at a low price. It was established not merely for obtaining preferential policies; instead, it was established to make innovations in systems, with the aim to establish a set of new mechanisms in line with international practice, including innovations on trading business, investment and opening-up, offshore functions and government administration, and to generate experiences that can be copied and popularized, so as to drive the economic and institutional reform nationwide, and give full play to the role of “test field” for reform and opening-up as President Xi had said. [IMG]
[Wang Hua]: As a “test field”, there will be many measures for reform and innovation. Mr. Zhang, can you tell us what are the innovative measures for supervision and service taken by Customs since the FTZ was established? 06/04/2014 13:36:05
[Zhang Hualu]: The Customs is one of the departments that have released many policies and provided stronger support in respect of building the FTZ. As early as the inauguration of the FTZ, GACC has issued 18 measures for innovating in customs supervision, supporting functional expansion, advancing policy implementation, strengthening risk prevention and control and establishing cooperation mechanism, and proposed the model of customs clearance by “easing the supervision of the first line (border line) and taking stricter control of the second-line (with non-FTZ connections)” and selective tax levy. 06/04/2014 13:37:25
[Zhang Hualu]: On April 22, this year, under the leadership of GACC and based on the preliminary pilot work, Shanghai Customs decided to introduce in batches 14 measures for customs supervision and service that can be “replicated and popularized”. The 7 measures including “Entering the FTZ before customs declaration procedures” and shipping goods within the FTZ with one’s own vehicles were launched for implementation before May 1, and the remaining 7 system will be put into implementation prior to June 30. In addition to those 14 measures, in the second half of this year, Shanghai Customs will continue to introduce some other measures for reform and innovation according to the principle of “popularizing a measure once it is proved to be effective”. 06/04/2014 13:38:21
[Wang Hua]: Then what are the specific contents of the first 7 measures? What aspects do they mainly cover? 06/04/2014 13:39:38
[Zhang Hualu]: Let’s invite Ms. Shu, the deputy head of the FTZ Customs Office to answer your questions. 06/04/2014 13:39:51
[Shu Qinfang]: The 7 innovative measures include entering the FTZ before customs declaration procedures, self-managed transport within the FTZ, processing-trade purchase-order verification and write-off, bonded exhibition and trading, repair at home and abroad, bonded delivery of futures goods and financial leasing. The first three are to facilitate customs clearance, while the latter four are to expand functions. 06/04/2014 13:40:24
[Shu Qinfang]: I will make a brief introduction. Entering the FTZ before customs declaration procedures means enterprises can pick up the goods and enter the zone on the strength of cargo manifest, and then declare to the Customs, so as to reduce the time and cost for clearance. Self-managed transport within the FTZ means enterprises may, instead of the Customs-control vehicles and through data check with IT system, transport goods with their own vehicles in the FTZ, thus reducing logistics cost. 06/04/2014 13:41:17
[Shu Qinfang]: By processing-trade purchase-order verification and write-off, we dropped the original verification and write-off model built on unit-consumption management, instead, we conduct verification and writing-off based on the purchase-order data automatically sent by enterprises every day. In this way, time spent on determining the inventory differences of enterprises is far less than before. These three measures can improve the efficiency of enterprises in customs clearance and help save time and logistics cost. 06/04/2014 13:41:36