As the central government calls for closer regional integration between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, customs in the three regions have set up the country's first coordinated and unified clearance system.
With the goal of simplifying customs procedures and reducing trade costs, the pilot system was implemented in Beijing and Tianjin on July 1 and will be extended to Hebei in October, according to the General Administration of Customs.
Li Peilin, chief commissioner of Tianjin Customs, explained how the integrated system works.
He said under the previous system a company declaring goods at customs in Tianjin while importing through the port of Beijing, would first require clearance in Beijing. The goods were then transported to Tianjin customs for the second round of clearance.
With the newly implemented system, he said a company can immediately pick up goods from the port of Beijing after Tianjin customs delivers a release order to the customs in Beijing.
"This can help shorten the clearance time by more than eight hours and cut the transportation cost by 30 percent," Li said.
Similarly, the port in Tianjin will release the commodities automatically once the release order from Beijing customs is received.
Under the new system, all 43 customs clearance sites in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei will share information through an online regional center.
Li said the three areas are pioneering integration in response to increasing demand for foreign trade and the complementary nature of ports in the region.
In 2013, imports and exports in the region had a total value of $612.5 billion, 14.7 percent of the country's total.
Tianjin Port is the largest seaport in North China with services also extending to Northwest China, while Beijing Capital International Airport is the country's civil aviation hub. Qinhuangdao Port in Hebei province is the world's largest port for energy products like coal.
"In the future, the General Administration of Customs will promote this approach to customs integration in the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta," Li said.
In addition, companies in the hinterland of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei - including Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi - will also benefit from the integrated system in their foreign trade.
"The integrated system will help facilitate trade and investment in the region and beyond," Li told China Daily.
"To better meet the requirements of companies, local customs should better enhance capability, further simplify clearance procedures, increase efficiency and strengthen cooperation with their counterparts in the neighboring regions."
