24/7 Customs Clearance Service for All Ports:Chongqing Connects the World All Day Long

□ Article/ Journalist Zeng Rui

24/7 Customs Clearance Service for All Ports:Chongqing Connects the World All Day Long

□ Article/ Journalist Zeng Rui

Customs clearance facilitation plays a key role for travelers, international logistics, international trade and even international contacts. On August 3, Chongqing is on track to open 24/7 customs clearance service for all ports, which marks it will connect the world unprecedentedly.

24/7 customs clearance promotes the indepth opening of Chongqing

Whether to implement 24/7 customs clearance(or known as “all-weather” customs clearance) is a prominent standard to leverage the degree of regional openness and export-oriented economic vitality. It also serves as a turbocharger to make every open platform play its role. Before the of fi cial announcement, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport has carried out 24/7 customs clearance covering inbound and outbound fl ights, passenger luggage, China Railway(Chongqing) Express,ships supervised by customs in River-and-Sea Coordinated Transport and parcels from online shopping. Imported fresh products by airlift can book 24/7 customs clearance through speed passages provided by the airport. That is why the public is most satis fi ed with fresh products.

August 3 witnesses the press conference of 24/7 customs clearance for all Chongqing ports. Li Qian, the deputy secretary general of Chongqing municipal government, says it can promote the development of open economy in Chongqing. He continues there are three outstanding features.First, it provides convenience to exit-entry travelingpassengers. Second, it covers wide range. Except giving convenience to passengers, cross-border e-commerce goods, imported fresh products by airlift and general import&export goods can also be put on an equal footing. Third, it lashes the development of service industry. 24/7 customs clearance services are provided to cargoes in special regulatory area in order to allow the laptop enterprises to produce according to the order form,realize zero inventory and faster customs clearance for components and fi nal products.

Science and technology input and humanization design shorten the time

It is understood that 24/7 customs clearance is supported by Chongqing Customs, entry&exit inspection and quarantine department, armed police force and border defence force. They not only strengthen strict systems, but facilitate technology equipment and perfect information channels as well.That is how time can be saved.

Sun Wei, deputy director of Chongqing Customs,says non-invasive inspection measures will improve efficiency. So, this year, Chongqing Customs adds 1,300 million to equip H986 large inspection equipment, CT technologies for luggage inspection and body checkers. These machines are shared with inspection and quarantine departments to get“check for once” for some key items and check results are mutually agreed. Meanwhile, “sole window” for international trade will be set up.Supervision of each department will be integrated to avoid redundant declares. By this mean, enterprises will reduce their cost. Through the above measures,customs clearance will be improved. Supervision sources can be integrated to enhance support capability. Chongqing Entry Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau opens hotline for 24 hours,24/7 customs clearance for passengers who take airplanes, 24/7 booked inspection for import and export cargoes, and 24/7 customs clearance for import and export cargoes without monitoring in special supervised areas. Integrated service platform for cross-border electric business will let check-free cross-border items in all day long, and give preference to perishable goods and expedited goods. In a bid to provide more information to the public, Chongqing Armed Police Corps of Frontier Defence opens of fi cial account named “Little Yu'er of Chongqing Border Check” and hot line(023-67153715 for now). In order to solve problems from the public, official account and hot line can provide official information, new trends of ports and relevant policies. Liao Yi stresses Chongqing Border Check is moving forward to the digital way backed by technology and information, which can have 24/7 easy customs clearance. Efficiency will be enhanced and time saved by 30 new-built automatic inspection passages so that passengers can go through customs by themselves.

The public will be satisfied by remarkable convenience of custom clearance

The reporter noticed that the public will benefit from the convenient custom clearance after the implementation of mentioned measures.

Liao Yizhi, chief of staff of Chongqing Armed Police Corps of Frontier Defence, introduces in 2016, international flights in Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport reached 18,000 sorties, a year-on-year growth of 21.9%, which gave great pressure to customs clearance. Li Qian says itis more convenient for tourists to leave or enter Chongqing after the implementation of 24/7 customs clearance. The airport will provide “allweather” customs clearance for international flight and overseas travelers to make their trips finer and easier. According to the introduction, after the operation of terminal 3 of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing Armed Police Corps of Frontier Defence will open 30 passages and passengers can go through customs by themselves. Passengers who are quali fi ed for self custom clearance can swipe through, which takes about ten seconds.

Further more, Chongqing Customs sets up special posts in charge of connection and coordination business for popular imported sea food such as salmon, frozen prawn and king crab, which are time-sensitive. That is why time is saved from their original site to dining-tables and citizens can enjoy the freshest food. At the same time, in the trend of fast development of cross-border e-business,Chongqing Inspection and Quarantine Bureau makes no special provisions for letting check-free cross-border items in all day long. More staff will be added in the peak “seasons”of cross-border e-business such as “shopping carnival on June 18”and “double 11 shopping carnival” to ensure 24/7 customs clearance. Items on memorandums coworked by Chongqing Customs and inspection and quarantine department will be fully implemented.Cross-border e-business inspection sites will conduct “joint inspection and one release”.

Chongqing connects the world all day long

Logistic and import&export trade surely enjoy the great convenience that is brought by 24/7 customs clearance.

Lately, Chongqing Branch of Sinotrans Air Transport Development Limited Cooperation delivered a group of live sharks from America to an ocean park located in Chongqing. These sharks arrived in Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport at 3 am and customs clearance would usually not end until the afternoon. However, after the implement of 24/7 customs clearance, it just took 3 hours to go through customs and sharks were delivered from the airport at 6 am to a ocean park in Chongqing.

After 24/7 customs clearance services for all ports are fully carried out, Chongqing will truly connect the world all day long. Chongqing will continue to improve the convenience of customs clearance and trade, cut down costs for foreign trade import&export enterprises and boost the construction of China-Singapore Demonstration Project and Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Area. The services can undoubtedly promote foreign contacts for general public in Chongqing and effectively carry Chongqing, an inland vanguard for opening up,forward.

（The pictures provided by Chongqing Customs）