The Dream Factory of China

Source :Qianhai Communication Center

The Qianhai and Shekou free trade area reported a 38-percent year-on-year growth in foreign trade to 1.2 trillion yuan (US$185.1 billion) in 2020, statistics from Shenzhen Customs showed.

The robust growth was mainly attributed to a series of measures that Shekou Customs, a subordinate body of Shenzhen Customs, has launched to boost imports and exports in the free trade area.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the country hard in the first few months of last year, Shekou Customs initiated a 24-hour on-board quarantine service for the normal operation of multiple inbound scientific research ships and engineering vessels. The move paved the way for the operation of an offshore oil rig of the Shenzhen-based CNOOC, a State-owned oil producer. The oil rig has an annual production capacity of 880,000 tons of oil worth of 2 billion yuan. The practice of contactless customs clearance, off-site inspection and smart instant approval services also initiated by customs helped enterprises reduce staff mobility and curb possible infections. Customs opened a green channel for the import of over 18 million pieces of anti-pandemic medical supplies for hospitals across the country under the MCC(multi-country consolidation) Qianhai model.

Last year, customs also rolled out other customs clearance facilitation measures such as the “two-step declaration,” “declaration in advance” and “cargo pick-up by the shipside” to revitalize the market entities.

“The thoughtful services have boosted our confidence in the recovery of the foreign trade sector and the overall economy,” said Li Youming, customs affairs manager of the China Merchants Bonded Logistics Co. Ltd.

The complete cross-border e-commerce ecology and the import and export of electronic components at the Qianhai Comprehensive Bonded Zone were two major contributors to the steady growth of foreign trade in the free trade area.

Last year, the bonded zone’s import and export volume of the cross-border e-commerce sector and electronic components reached 51.2 billion yuan and 67 billion yuan, up 260 percent and 8 percent year on year, respectively.

The container throughput reached 11.11 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit), a 2.8-percent increase year on year, in the city’s western port area.