Image: Wusong Customs officers conduct on-site inspection of large equipment bound for BRI partner countries. Photographer: Lu Shenli
Shanghai’s imports and exports with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reached 1.21 trillion yuan in the first eight months of this year, up 12.6 percent year-on-year. Shanghai Customs has been streamlining supervision and services to help local businesses explore emerging markets more efficiently, boosting both the scale and quality of trade between Shanghai and the BRI partner countries.
Tailored Support Powers Electricity Equipment Exports in a More Efficient Way
A batch of transformers worth 5.605 million yuan produced by Chint Electric Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Chint Electric”) was recently shipped overseas with efficient support from Songjiang Customs, a subsidiary of Shanghai Customs. Chint Electric, a key manufacturer in Songjiang District, supplies power equipment and smart electrical systemsfor sectors such as new energy and rail transit.
When expanding into BRI markets, the company initially faced longer clearance times due to unfamiliarity with destination countries’ technical standards. Songjiang Customs assigned specialists to provide proactive, one-on-one guidance. This involved helping the company navigate the technical standards and market access requirements of target countries, followed by a detailed, item-by-item review to align product specifications with the required performance benchmarks and ensure they met all destination country regulations.The Customs authority also promoted facilitated measures such as self-printing of Certificates of Origin and advised the company on leveraging preferential tariff rates under trade agreements to speed up clearance.
“With strong Customs support, our products now fully meet the green standards and performance demands of countries like Greece, leading to steady growth in export orders,” said Huang Jian, Logistics Manager at Chint Electric. “In the first eight months, our exports to BRI partner countries hit 1.45 billion yuan, surging 88.9 percent year-on-year.” Overall, Songjiang District’s exports to BRI partner countries grew 55.1 percent to 45.8 billion yuan during the same period.
Customs-Port Coordination Eases Logistics, Driving Bulk Cargo Growth
As a major bulk and general cargo terminal ofShanghai International Port Group,the Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd. Longwu Branch (hereinafter referred to as Longwu Port Area)forms a vital part of the Shanghai international shipping hub, focusing on the import and export of goods such as equipment, steel, and non-ferrous metals.
Recently, a batch of liquid-gas separators, which are critical components for crude oil drilling systems, arrived at the port area bound for Kuwait. The shipment was on a tight delivery schedule. Longwu Customs worked closely with the port area to expedite the clearance process. According toWang Jia, Deputy Head of the Second Section of Cargo Control and Inspection at Longwu Customs, a subsidiary of Shanghai Customs, a customs-port collaboration mechanism has been established to boost clearance efficiency. By integrating online video surveillance, physical inspections, and real-time information sharing, and layering on facilitative measures such as "pre-arrival declaration", "unaccompanied inspection", and 24-hour appointment-based clearance, the process ensures that goods are "inspected and released immediately upon arrival", effectively guaranteeing smooth two-way trade between Shanghai and BRI partner countries.
In the first eight months, Longwu Customs oversaw exports of 116,100 metric tons of steel and 215,100 metric tons of engineering equipment to BRI partner countries, up 43.69 percent and 8.91 percent year-on-year, respectively.
AEO Certification for Bulk Traders: Fueling Efficiency and Cost Savings in Imports
Xinxing Pipes (Shanghai) Metal Resources Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Xinxing Pipes”), a foreign trade firm based in Hongkou District, trades in non-ferrous metals, chemical materials, and other bulk commodities throughout the world with partners in Asia, Europe, South America, North America, Africa, and other BRI regions.
On August 11, Xinxing Pipes declared imports of 990 metric tons of polyethylene to Hongkou Customs, a subsidiary ofShanghai Customs from a Belt and Road Initiative partner country in the Middle East. As an AEO with Advanced Certification, the company benefited from facilitative measures such as priority processing at dedicated AEO service windows, which significantly shortened the appointment time for its clearance applications.Simultaneously, leveraging the "Customs Chief Visits Enterprises for Policy Briefings" program and its customized service package mechanism, Hongkou Customs provided the company with immediate, one-on-one interpretations of relevant policies and announcements. This tailored approach specifically addressed the characteristics of the company's imports, such as the susceptibility to loss and the critical need for fast turnover of mineral resources. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Hongkou District Commission of Commerce, Hongkou Customs conducted policy outreach sessions targeting the company as a key import-export enterprise, offering support from multiple perspectives including compliance, cost reduction, efficiency enhancement, and market expansion.
Following a period of credit cultivation by Shanghai Customs, Xinxing Pipes obtained AEO certification this year. This has led to a substantial increase in cargo turnover efficiency and a significant reduction in both logistics and time costs. Since the start of 2025, the company has imported products worth approximately 1.494 billion USD from 16 BRI partner countries, including South Africa.
Integrated Oversight Ensures Efficient Clearance for Large Equipment
On September 18, a total of 16 pieces of equipment for the PUSRI-IIIB ammonia-to-urea production project exporting to Indonesia, with a combined volume of 4,477 cubic meters, were shipped from Zhanghuabang Container Terminal (Shanghai) aboard the vessel Oriental Energy under the supervision of Wusong Customs, a subsidiary ofShanghai Customs.
The PUSRI-IIIB ammonia-to-urea production project is a large-scale Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract secured by Chinese enterprises in the Indonesian market. The shipment involved numerous oversized pieces with high requirements for Customs clearance timeliness. To address this, Wusong Customs created a "green channel", implementing an "appointment-based inspection and immediate inspection upon arrival" facilitative model to ensure precise dovetailing of all supervisory steps.The cargo arrived at the port in multiple batches via both road and water transport. Some oversized or overweight breakbulk items could not be directly placed in the storage yard, which posed challenges for supervision. Wusong Customs adapted its methods to maximize convenience for the company's storage and logistics operations while ensuring effective regulatory control, ultimately facilitating successful "direct loading at the shipside" for export.
"Customs' proactive briefings of policies and services has significantly improved our clearance efficiency. We will continue to export various types of equipment," stated Chen Dongyu from Shanghai Rongtua International Logistics Co., Ltd. In the first eight months of the year, exports through the Wusong port of Shanghai to BRI partner countries reached 4.602 million metric tons.(By Zhang Caixia, Wang Jia, Jin Xuan, Xie Shuangshuang)
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of GACC. The GACC version shall prevail.
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