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]: This question is frequently asked by enterprises. Surely, all the innovative measures for customs supervision and services in the FTZ aim to be “reproduced and popularized”. At present, GACC primarily plans to evaluate those innovative measures in Q3. According to the evaluation results and the principle of “popularizing a measure once it is proved to be effective”, those measures will be first implemented in the areas under special Customs supervision with similar management model throughout the country. Meanwhile, Shanghai Customs also plans to reproduce and popularize those measures in the Shanghai customs district, synchronically or earlier. 06/04/2014 13:54:27
[Wang Hua]: Can you tell us what the conditions are to promote and implement a measure? 06/04/2014 13:54:38
[Zhang Hualu]: Any measure for customs reform is subject to thorough consideration, deliberate design and stead and proactive promotion. We need to obtain samples through local pilot work, carry out adequate risk test and pressure test, continuously optimize and improve the reform by testing and evaluation, and then we can acquire experience that can be reproduced and popularized. [IMG]
06/04/2014 13:55:03
06/04/2014 13:55:03 [Zhang Hualu]: Specifically, to spread one pilot reform requires the corresponding hardware and software first. In terms of hardware, many reform measures of the Customs involve upgrading of IT system and equipment. This work is done in a process. In terms of software, as enterprises have increasingly diversified and personalized demands, we need to thoroughly carry out differentiated management and fine management, and attach more attention to details, and strive to make the innovative measures meet the demands of different enterprises and different trading businesses as much as possible. 06/04/2014 13:56:30
[Zhang Hualu]: Another important point is that market-oriented reform does not mean to let things go without any control. As a supervisory department, we need to work out a complete supervision system during the reform for safe and effective supervision and prevention of any systematic and regional risk. Only in this way can we feel it safe to reproduce and popularize the measure nationwide. 06/04/2014 13:57:40
[Wang Hua]: As to safety supervision, some people indeed worry that there are so many pilot reforms carried out in the FTZ,, and with less constraints and relaxed governmental control, will there be various risks arising accordingly? What’s the actual situation? 06/04/2014 13:57:45
[Zhang Hualu]: The FTZ differs from ordinary special customs control areas. It is no longer an area mainly for processing trade and logistics, but a large-scale economic complex with diversified functions of trade in goods and trade in services. The increasing mobile factors lead to more complicated customs supervision environment. We face great challenges to our efficient and safe supervision. 06/04/2014 13:58:57
[Zhang Hualu]: For instance, acts of declaring low prices and false declaration of commodity names and possibility for affiliated enterprises in and outside the FTZ to gang up for smuggling may all be observed. “Cross-border e-business” may also be accompanied with network smuggling. 06/04/2014 13:59:50
[Zhang Hualu]: The FTZ has another special feature: with relaxed control in financial, cultural, leisure and other service areas, we should pay attention to political, economic, and cultural safety and the penetration of “pornography, gambling and drug”. For instance, after its establishment, the Anti-smuggling Office of Waigaoqiao Bonded Area investigated into a case of smuggling Japanese animation models. 06/04/2014 14:00:13
[Wang Hua]: Facing those new risks, how did the Customs respond to them and intensify the supervision? 06/04/2014 14:00:51