Dongguan, Hong Kong make good pair in trade logistics

The Dongguan-Hong Kong International Airport Logistics Park facilitated the shipment of goods worth more than 113 million yuan ($15.77 million) last week in its first 100 days of operation.

On Thursday afternoon, canvas, electric toothbrushes, together with other products, went through Customs clearance and air transport security screenings at the park and were shipped by vessel from the port of Dongguan to the pier at Hong Kong's airport, bound for South Asian destinations.

The park, located in the Humen Port Comprehensive Bonded Area in Dongguan, Guangdong province, makes use of the status of Hong Kong as an international aviation hub, with the manufacturing clout of Dongguan and other cities located in Guangdong.

About half of the import and export products to and from Dongguan are high-value machinery and electronics, leading to massive demand for air transport, especially for the transfer at Hong Kong's airport, according to Huangpu Customs.

Among the 50 top foreign trade companies in Dongguan, there are 43 that have such demand and 80 percent of their goods were shipped by road through Shenzhen to Hong Kong and then flown abroad, said Xie Huixuan, a Customs official.

With the new arrangement, goods go through Customs clearance and security screening and are placed on pallets in Dongguan before being shipped to Hong Kong's airport and flown to global destinations.

As some services are extended from Hong Kong to the park, the new mode brings higher efficiency. The large supply of land and workers in Dongguan helps with cutting costs.

The import and export business of Dongguan stood at 618.6 billion yuan in the first half of this year and the city continues to hold the second spot among cities in Guangdong in total foreign trade.

With the third runway and other expansions at Hong Kong's airport to be completed in 2025, cargo processing capacity at the park is expected to exceed 1 million metric tons annually.