China's one-stop customs clearance facilitates international trade

BEIJING - Single-window customs clearance is now in place in the entire Chinese mainland, allowing companies to declare cargo and taxes with a single submission.

A standard version covers all trade ports, with a total of 35,000 registered users and more than 100,000 daily declarations, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The platform has nine functions, including declaration of cargo, transportation, and payment of taxes and fees.

Instead of filing the same information repeatedly with different authorities, traders are able to declare cargo and taxes with a single submission on a web-based platform for free, improving efficiency and reducing costs.

The single-window system will help companies lower costs by 10 percent and save 10 percent of time needed for clearance. A third of all clearance procedures will be cut, according to southwest China's Chongqing port.

In Shanghai, cargo clearance efficiency has been raised by about 30 percent.

The average clearance time for imports and exports within the jurisdiction of Shanghai Customs was 21.67 hours and 1.35 hours respectively for the first eight months of 2017, 26 percent and 32 percent shorter than the same period last year.

The platform also enables authorities of 11 related agencies to share declaration data, logistical control information and credit standings to create a better business environment.

China is committed to extending single-window processing of international trade and nationwide integration of customs clearance procedures.

From May this year, the State Council required all ports to adopt single-window systems.