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Qianhai Bay Bonded Port ranked first among all bonded ports across the country in terms of total volume of exports and imports and 2019 growth rate, thanks to a series of institutional innovations adopted to facilitate cross-border e-commerce in the Qianhai and Shekou free trade area.

According to figures from Shekou Customs, which has jurisdiction over the Qianhai and Shekou free trade area, the import and export totals of Qianhai Bay Bonded Port reached 135.98 billion yuan (US$19.71 billion) last year, up 58 percent from the previous year and topping bonded ports nationwide. The total volume of Qianhai and Shekou exports and imports was 872.19 billion yuan, a 29.1-percent growth from the previous year.

The 9610 Model, rolled out June 14, 2019, allows the customs clearance of cross-border e-commerce imports and exports to be completed in the bonded area, greatly shortening the processing time.

Under the 9610 Model, e-commerce companies can have goods shipped to Qianhai Bay Bonded Port after receiving orders from overseas customers. While export paperwork and procedures are being processed, exporters can make logistical arrangements.

A total of 120 million parcels worth 8.37 billion yuan have been exported through Shekou Customs since the adoption of the 9610 Model, said Ke Dongqing, deputy head of Shekou Customs.

The seamless export process saves exporting enterprises time and costs, hence attracting an increasing number to export through Qianhai.

A manager with Globalegrow E-Commerce spoke highly of the innovations that Shekou Customs has adopted in facilitating cross-border trade. “They reduce operational costs for exporters, and the facilitated customs clearance also enhances the purchasing experience for overseas customers,” said the manager, adding that the measures help improve the competitiveness of exporting companies in the international market.

The Qianhai authority has released a series of policies to support the development of cross-border commerce, including for Qianhai-based companies engaged in cross-border e-commerce and the parallel import car business. The first batch of such companies has received 10 million yuan in subsidies from the Qianhai authority.

Shekou Customs has also adopted a “brief customs declaration mode” in which importers and exporters are allowed to ship goods from the bonded area after submitting just nine types of required materials; they then complete a full declaration within 14 days. The move gives companies enough time to double check their declaration materials and avoid making alterations to information afterwards.

This two-step declaration process has greatly shortened the time it takes the goods to cross the border by up to four hours, said a manager with Fanya Fruit Co.

Under the brief customs declaration mode, imported fruit, which is not subject to inspection, can leave customs immediately after the cargo ship arrives. In the early morning of Jan. 2, three containers of 54 tons of cherries imported from Chili were loaded onto a truck five minutes after arriving at the Shekou port, and ten brief minutes later they arrived at the Qianhai fruit storage yard where they were made ready for countrywide distribution.

A general manager of Shenzhen Asia Global Logistics Co. Ltd. surnamed Zhang said the new model drastically shortens the customs clearance process by up to six hours on average. Importers can also save operational costs of up to 4,000 yuan per container imported through Shekou Port.

These measures attract more enterprises to import and export through Shekou Customs. According to official estimates, about 15,000 TEUs (twenty-feet equivalent units) will pass through Qianhai Bay Bonded Port Area this year, and the number will grow to 100,000 TEUs by 2025.