State Council’s plans to optimize port business environment

This work plan has been formulated to further optimize the business environment at the port, facilitate cross-border trade, and promote stable and healthy development of foreign trade.

Here are some highlights from the work tasks:

Firstly, streamline import and export supervision. Abolish unnecessary import and export regulatory documents and port verifications. Reduce the number of regulatory documents required to be verified for import and export to 48 before November 1, 2018.

Secondly, optimize the procedures for handling regulatory documents. Except for special circumstances such as security and confidentiality, before the end of 2020 all regulatory documents must be processed online.

Thirdly, promote national customs clearance integration. Combine customs, border, and maritime inspection. By the end of 2018, have fully integrated the customs and the inspection and quarantine service by unifying document declaration, an operating system, risk research and judgment, directives, and on-site law enforcement.

Fourthly, accelerate the development of multimodal transport. Accelerate the construction of a public information platform on multimodal transport, strengthen the sharing of information between transportation, customs, market supervision and other departments, and provide one-stop comprehensive information services such as qualification, certification and accreditation, inspection and quarantine, customs clearance and credit evaluation. By the end of 2019, the main ports of the coastal area and the Yangtze River trunk lines must realize the exchange and sharing of information on railway-waterway multimodal transport. By the end of 2020, the public information platform on multimodal transport will be basically established.

Fifthly, integrate international trade service. Integrate the services in relevant areas such as the special customs supervision area and the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot area, and cooperate with the national cross-border e-commerce online comprehensive service platform. Promote one-stop declaration for international navigation vessels, and realize paperless procedures in entry and exit customs clearance. By the end of 2018, the application rate of main services (goods, manifests, and declaration of means of transport) must reach 80%; by the end of 2021, it must reach 100%. By the end of 2021, except for special circumstances such as security and confidentiality, integrate all international trade management services and create a one-stop trade service platform.

Sixthly, promote electronic formatting of port logistics information. By the end of June 2019, customs must electronically supervise container yards for both domestic and foreign trade. By the end of 2019, on the major ocean routes, customs and enterprises must exchange ocean bills of lading, bills of lading, packing lists and other information by electronic methods.

Seventhly, reduce the compliance cost in both import and export. By the end of 2018, the compliance cost of the import and export of a single container must be reduced by more than $100 from the cost of 2017.

Chinese source: https://www.gov.cn