Customs control is the process where Customs inspects, verifies and examines inward and outward means of transport, goods, personal articles as well as mails and parcels according to the law to ensure the implementation of national laws and regulations concerning entry and exit of means of transport, goods, personal articles as well as mails and parcels through acceptance of declarations, document inspection, examination and release and other related management systems and procedures.

China Customs has introduced a series of reforms to improve customs inspection and supervision, which include reform of regional clearance, classified clearance, management of manifest and etc. Under the guideline of “supervise closely, operate effectively”, China Customs has made remarkable achievements on customs control: in 2008, China Customs processed 361 million entries and exits of passengers and their personal articles, exerted control over 2.425 billion tons of import & export goods valued at USD 2.56 trillion, strongly accelerating the development of foreign trade as well as cultural and technological exchange. Last year, China Customs participated actively in the relief work of the “5.12” earthquake in Shichuan province. Frontier officers worked 24 hours per day in shifts behind green channels and dedicated counters set up especially for relief work and released a total of 505 batches of relief materials which involved duty-reduction or exemption of more than RMB 500 million. Another spotlight in the 2008 was the Customs Olympic Security and Service Work. China Customs, as an important backup and service department of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, has created a quality and safe clearance environment. Great success has been gained on the Customs Olympic Security and Service Work.

In 2009, China Customs puts in efforts to adopt a comprehensive management on the self-compliance of the enterprises, promotes the classified clearance system and implements the measure of “declare at home, release at port” ( a cross- Customs districts clearance model under which qualified enterprises can firstly declare to the Customs house with which they have registered and then have the goods released at the ports where the actual in and outflows of goods take place.) as well as the measure of helping goods transfer among different Customs districts. It improves its administration over bonded logistics and makes the clearance processes of Customs special control areas, boned areas and frontline checking spots gear up to each other. Besides, Customs officers further engage themselves in the Integrated Clearance Project and the E-port construction and get fully prepared for the clearance work of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo as well as the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.