Guangdong to deepen cross-border trade facilitation and improve port business environment

Recently, Guangdong announced new measures in cross-border trade facilitation and improvements to the port business environment. In future, exporting goods may complete the whole trade process of ports, customs, logistics, enterprises and finance in feeder ports in both Eastern and Western Guangdong.

[Photo: Nanfang Daily]

At present the province is trying to simplify exporting custom clearance process, allowing companies finish the whole trade process at the feeder ports in GBA mainland cities. The cargo needs only one run of declaration, inspection, and discharge. Through the block-chain platforms and IOT (Internet of Things) technology, the declaration data can be validated at both ports. And the barges can be released automatically within 24 hours.

In 2021, there were about 100,000 standard containers completing customs clearance through this port mode.

Provide one-stop service for the declaration of waybills

According to the notice, Guangdong will set up pilot aviation logistics public information platform in Guangzhou and Shenzhen to gradually achieve the goal of providing one-stop service for the declaration of the loading lists or waybills.

Furthermore, it will build a China-Europe freight train public service platform to promote the logistics data sharing and cooperation.

With regards to the facilitation of customs clearance at GBA ports, Guangdong will advance a series of key projects involving an information service management system for Hong Kong and Macao vehicles travelling to the mainland, and the GBA cross-boundary vehicles information management and comprehensive service platform.

The integrated development of the marine logistics will coordinate the development between pilot free trade zones (FTZs) and the Greater Bay Area and achieve connectivity and synergy in the port cluster.

“As the situation at home and abroad gets increasingly complex, China’s foreign trade development is still facing with enormous challenges. The pragmatic measures released by Guangdong will help foreign businesses save time and costs, make cross-border trade faster and smoother, and promote steady growth and opening-up of foreign trade at a higher level,” said Bai Ming, Deputy Director of International Market Research Institute, Ministry of Commerce.

Combine the "single window" for international trade with the tax return system data 

The notice said Guangdong will get support from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) to promote the integrated reform and coordinated development of the whole customs businesses in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and will push ahead with online verification of relevant port documents between Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and their major trading partners in the East Asian region.

Guangdong will quicken the pace to combine the "single window" for international trade with the tax return system data to further facilitate port tax refund declarations. By the end of 2022, the average time for tax departments to review and handle the normal export tax rebates will be reduced to fewer than 5 working days.

Author| Fanny 

Editor| Wing, Nan, Jerry