Logistics serves as the "lifeblood" of the real economy, bridging production and consumption, domestic and international trade. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee explicitly called for enhancing the circulation system, accelerating IoT development, establishing unified connectivity standards, and reducing overall societal logistics costs. Today, increasingly efficient port logistics continue to elevate cross-border trade facilitation, driving sustained expansion of foreign trade. By eliminating trade "bottlenecks" and revitalizing global supply chains, China is crafting a dynamic blueprint for its new development paradigm—where logistics "arteries" converge with data "neural networks" to enable seamless cargo flows and premium services.
Elevating Openness Capacity
"Maritime Gateways" Reach Inland
Qingdao Port of Shandong Port Group sits at the maritime-terrestrial nexus of the Belt and Road, serving as the primary maritime gateway for the Yellow River Basin region. In recent years, Huangdao Customs under Qingdao Customs has actively extended the "Land-Sea Coordination and Sea-Rail Direct Transport" model to inland regions, supporting Shandong Ports in establishing 51 inland dry ports. This initiative brings seaport services to the doorsteps of enterprises in inland cities like Zhengzhou, Xi'an, and Dezhou.
Under the "Land-Sea Coordination and Sea-Rail Direct Transport" model, enterprises can complete customs clearance and inspection procedures at inland dry ports, arrange vessel bookings at coastal ports in advance, and benefit from automated customs transit clearance and cancellation. This enables direct freight train shipments from inland ports, immediate loading upon arrival, and original container loading onto vessels, reducing port storage waiting time by over 24 hours and cutting domestic transportation costs by 20%.
As Shandong's port integration reform progresses, cross-port and multi-modal transshipment operations are becoming increasingly common. Huangdao Customs introduced the "Shandong Port Single Window" model and deployed the "Cross-Port Intelligent Transshipment Monitoring Platform," which integrates and shares data between customs systems and port/shipping company systems, enhancing coordination across customs, ports, and enterprise logistics chains. Meanwhile, by integrating logistics supervision models such as "Smart Water-to-Water Transshipment" and "Maritime Port Consolidation," it enables seamless cargo flow and operational coordination among ports, significantly advancing the development of Shandong's seaport logistics network and maximizing the advantages of port clusters.
Additionally, Huangdao Customs has collaborated with the Qingdao Area of Shandong Pilot Free Trade Zone, port authorities, and other stakeholders to upgrade intelligent facilities, including automated overhead rails and container weight verification systems. It has pioneered the "Pre-Screening Inspection+Direct Loading/Unloading" supervision model, seamlessly integrating customs oversight into port operations. This facilitates real-time data exchange between customs and port logistics, driving continuous improvements in port logistics efficiency.
Efficient port logistics has enhanced cross-border trade facilitation and spurred sustained growth in foreign trade volume. In the first two months of 2025, Shandong's total import-export value reached RMB 496.78 billion, marking a 6.9% year-on-year increase—the highest growth rate among China's top six foreign trade regions (Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Shandong, and Beijing).
As a global export logistics service provider for the Amazon platform, Asia Collection Logistics Co., Ltd. warehouses premium products sourced nationwide. Given cross-border e-commerce's unique characteristics, the LCL (Less than Container Load) shipping model—consolidating goods into shared containers—has emerged as the optimal solution for shippers, balancing cost-efficiency with operational flexibility. Under conventional procedures, companies must complete customs clearance after cargo arrival at ports, exposing operations to uncontrollable disruptions that jeopardize loading schedules. During peak shipping seasons, this may escalate to container rollover incidents, significantly compromising export efficiency.
Ningbo Port's innovative "pre-shipment inspection" model has garnered unanimous acclaim from cargo owners and logistics providers alike. The new protocol allows immediate customs declaration upon warehouse entry for loose cargo, with containerization occurring only after completed inspections and customs formalities.
This "inspect-then-ship" approach exemplifies Ningbo Customs' broader initiatives to streamline logistics networks and enhance cross-border trade facilitation. To address checkpoint congestion in the comprehensive bonded zone due to increasing annual business volume, Ningbo Customs has pioneered 'tidal lane' solutions, enhanced data coordination between checkpoints, and eliminated data silos among the bonded zone, dock checkpoints, and zone-based enterprises. This enables pre-screening and predictive analysis of inbound reservation data, ensuring seamless vehicle flow in and out of the zone. The 'Smart Inspection & Sealing' system integrates regulatory oversight with service efficiency through secure smart locks and vehicle GPS tracking, enabling automated, 24/7 cargo transfers between port terminals and logistics hubs.
"As the circulatory system of foreign trade, logistics networks demand continuous innovation. We're committed to resolving port logistics bottlenecks and exploring new ways to strengthen trade competitiveness," stated an official from Meishan Customs under Ningbo Customs.
Streamlined Trade Corridor
The 'Iron Camel Express' Gains Momentum
Recently, under the supervision of Huangpu Customs, a CER train carrying market procurement trade goods departed from Guangzhou Zengcheng West Station bound for Europe. This marks the inaugural operation of a market procurement trade goods CRE train from Zengcheng West Station, signifying the deep integration between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's market procurement trade model and CRE train services. It establishes an efficient new channel for "Greater Bay Area manufactured" products to reach global markets.
The shipment originated from Dalang Town, Dongguan, primarily consisting of tin containers valued at over RMB 470,000, all exported through the market procurement trade scheme. In recent years, growing numbers of SMEs in the Greater Bay Area have adopted market procurement trade for exports. CER services, with their efficient, reliable, and cost-effective transportation advantages, not only reduce logistics expenses but also minimize cargo damage, making them the preferred logistics solution for SMEs expanding into international markets.
To facilitate the smooth export of market-procured goods via the China-Europe Railway Express, Huangpu Customs proactively assisted enterprises by coordinating regulatory plans, establishing dedicated service windows for business acceptance, providing customs policy briefings and declaration guidance, and opening a "green channel" to promptly resolve customs clearance challenges faced by businesses. Meanwhile, in close collaboration with railway authorities, we support enterprises in flexibly selecting customs declaration methods and logistics routes to ensure unimpeded train operations.
"Previously, our small commodities were primarily exported via sea freight, which was time-consuming," said Zhao Dongxue, manager of Dalang Dacheng Trading Firm in Dongguan. "This time, our goods were exported via the China-Europe Railway Express, directly loaded onto trains locally for international shipment. The process offers not only streamlined declaration and faster customs clearance but also preliminary calculations show over 10% cost savings per shipment."
Recently, under the supervision of Manzhouli Station Customs (affiliated with Manzhouli Customs), a China-Europe Railway Express freight train fully loaded with household appliances and daily necessities departed from Manzhouli Port toward Belt and Road partner countries. The train carried 55 standard containers, all declared under the "Railway Fast Clearance" operational model.
Under the "Railway Fast Clearance" model, customs authorities supervise goods by electronically reviewing, releasing, and canceling railway manifests. This eliminates the need for operators to submit separate declarations or complete transit and cancellation procedures, reducing cargo handling and storage costs while significantly improving customs clearance efficiency for China-Europe Railway Express shipments.
To facilitate smooth customs clearance for goods declared under the "Railway Fast Clearance" model, Manzhouli Station Customs actively promotes the program's benefits through customs-enterprise symposiums and specialized training sessions, helping businesses capitalize on policy reform advantages. Meanwhile, we will refine the operational guidelines for the "Railway Express Clearance" model, providing end-to-end guidance to enterprises in completing declaration, release, and other procedures. This will effectively address issues such as manifest discrepancies, release delays, and customs clearance anomalies, thereby enhancing the implementation of the "Railway Express Clearance" model.
"We have conducted multiple rounds of discussions with freight forwarders, regulatory site operators, and railway authorities to clarify operational procedures and develop a comprehensive customs clearance and supervision plan. By strengthening coordination with local customs, we are exploring a collaborative 'Origin+Port' supervision mechanism to boost the efficiency of China-Europe freight trains in both domestic and border segments," said a representative from the Logistics Monitoring Division of Manzhouli Station Customs.
Moving forward, Manzhouli Customs will continue to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation by enhancing regulatory efficiency and service standards. This ensures the "Railway Express Clearance" model delivers tangible results in practice, driving high-quality foreign trade growth.
Optimizing logistics models
"Sky Corridor" Bridges the World
Aviation ports feature rapid cross-border passenger/cargo transit, convenient access, strong timeliness, and minimal geographical constraints. They play a vital role in facilitating international openness, boosting trade development, and enabling personnel exchanges. Leveraging the unique "dual-hub" resources of Beijing Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport, Beijing Customs has continuously refined its supervision model, further streamlined customs clearance at aviation ports, and cultivated a world-class port business environment. In Q1 2025, Beijing Customs oversaw 272,000t of import/export cargo at the dual-hub airports, marking a 5.9% year-on-year increase and achieving a "strong start".
To maximize the synergistic advantages of Beijing's "dual-airport system", Beijing Customs prioritizes efficient resource interoperability between dual-hub freight supply chains and premium air routes to enhance regional operational efficiency. To address the complex logistics model of "international-to-domestic cargo" between Daxing and Capital airports, Beijing Customs has introduced an innovative "dual-zone direct distribution" supervision measure. Utilizing smart regulatory tools such as RFID tags and BeiDou navigation systems, inbound cargo is directly transferred from Daxing International Airport to Capital International Airport's customs supervision area after primary master air waybill tallying at the first-tier air cargo terminal. This enables split-order tallying and customs clearance procedures, significantly reducing cargo clearance time and optimizing logistics efficiency.
Furthermore, to leverage the cargo industry chain advantages of Capital International Airport and support the growth of its port logistics enterprises, Capital Airport Customs (a subsidiary of Beijing Customs) has pioneered a new "through-connection direct transfer" logistics model. Under this mode, export goods arriving at the port from China can directly enter the international export staging area via on-site roads, enabling swift completion of operations such as domestic and foreign label adjustments, customs supervision data transmission, and cargo consolidation. Compared to the traditional process—which required off-site road transfers and a series of steps including export security checks, warehousing, weighing, and palletization—this approach improves overall efficiency by 80%.
"Our company specializes in export agency services, often under tight delivery deadlines. With this new model, our logistics costs have dropped, and cargo handover time is significantly reduced. Even urgent contracts no longer worry us about timely delivery," said Sun Li, General Manager of Beijing Zekun International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd., with satisfaction.
Fujian Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport serves as a pivotal hub of the "Maritime Silk Road Gateway", boasting exceptional geographical advantages. It functions as a crucial customs clearance port for high-tech products, large-scale equipment, and perishable/time-sensitive goods in the region. Recent years have witnessed rapid growth in its international cargo operations. Customs statistics show that during the first two months of 2025, Xiamen Airport Customs processed 35,300t of international cargo and mail, marking a 10.28% year-on-year increase.
Xiamen Airport Customs has been enhancing the port's business environment and streamlining customs procedures to support local economic development, while facilitating the expansion of international cargo routes. Currently, Xiamen Airport operates 19 international cargo routes connecting cities including Los Angeles, Manila, and Paris, with network coverage spanning the Americas, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Operating 24/7, these international cargo flights continuously transport batches of "Made in China" products worldwide through the airport's cargo network. Xiamen Airport Customs has implemented an "around-the-clock customs clearance" model at the air cargo terminal of Xiamen International Airport to accommodate enterprises' customs clearance needs during nighttime and holidays.
Concurrently, Xiamen Airport Customs has deployed and operationalized the "Aviation Logistics Public Information Platform" at the airport port, enabling comprehensive "smart supervision" of the entire supply chain for air import/export cargo. The platform resolves redundant data entry issues, streamlining air import procedures from 5 manual handovers to a single pickup process per shipment. For exports, it eliminates 6 paper documents per consignment, boosting cargo terminal operational efficiency by over 90%.
"Airports serve as the nation's gateway to global connectivity and vital conduits for international commerce and personnel exchange. Moving forward, we will rigorously implement measures to enhance customs clearance efficiency, advance "Smart Airport" initiatives, and safeguard the stability of foreign trade supply chains," stated a Xiamen Airport Customs official.
China Inspection and Quarantine Times, April 10, 2025 (by Zhuang Yihong)