Chang Zhipeng

57589527@qq.com

THE total import and export volume in Qianhai reached 861.5 billion yuan (US$133.07 billion) in the first seven months of this year, up by 47.2 percent year on year. Accounting for only 0.06 percent of Shenzhen’s land area, Qianhai contributed 6.4 percent of the city’s total trade volume last year. What are the secrets behind the staggering numbers for Qianhai?

The trade volume increase was attributed to the growth of cross-border e-commerce, which in turn benefited from the implementation of a series of innovative customs facilitation measures and incentives jointly launched by Shenzhen Customs and Qianhai Authority to support exports, streamline customs clearance procedures and optimize customs supervision, authorities said.

Qianhai’s MCC (multi-country consolidation) logistics service has been extremely convenient and has reduced warehouse costs for cross-border e-commerce companies. The service offers one-stop cargo collection, transfer and distribution, and cargo consolidation in the area. Since the service was launched in 2018, Qianhai has consolidated and distributed a total of 22,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of goods worth 15.61 billion yuan, according to Qianhai Authority.

Qianhai has also set up an outbound airfreight center. Enterprises can complete the collection, distribution, buildup, transportation and security check of goods within a special restricted area. Air cargo can be freely circulated between the bonded zone and other aviation hubs such as the Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou airports, saving time and money for import and export companies.

YHGlobal (Yuehai), a national five-A rating logistics company and the first unicorn company in the global logistics supply chain industry, is among the first batch of enterprises that settled in the Qianhai Comprehensive Bonded Zone in 2008. According to Su Baoyin, Yuehai’s general manager, Qianhai’s proximity to Hong Kong is the main reason the company has settled here.

Last year, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company achieved revenue of 5.98 billion yuan, and its import and export volume was US$12.69 billion, a year-on-year increase of 32 percent, making huge contribution to that of Qianhai.

Meanwhile, other innovative measures have also promoted the speed and efficiency of customs clearance in the bonded zone, such as the two-step customs declaration mode and cross-port allocation of barges.

Under the two-step declaration mode, trading companies are allowed to ship goods out of the bonded area after submitting just nine types of required materials; they then complete a full declaration within 14 days. The move gives companies enough time to double-check their declaration materials and avoid making alterations to information afterwards.

This two-step declaration process has drastically shortened the customs clearance process by up to six hours on average. Importers can also save on daily operational costs of about 500 yuan per container imported through Shekou Port.