BEIJING: China Customs has exercised control over USD4.862 billion worth of import and export goods transported by trains traveling along China-Europe rail routes in 2014, announced the General Administration of Customs here the other day. China Customs will make a special effort in 2015 to push through among the national Customs of the countries located along the Silk Road Economic Belt the framework of mutual exchange of information, mutual recognition of controls and mutual assistance of enforcement, creating a grand connectivity “channel” that can make customs clearance accessible in a far more larger area.
According to the statistics, laptops, LCD screens, automobile parts, computer memories and daily goods are among the major goods that are ferried by the China-Europe trains. Measures have been taken by Customs administrations in the country to support the running of the trains along such China-Europe rail routes as Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe and Changsha-Manzhouli-Europe, for example, Green Channels and the 24-hour work-at-appointment scheme are used in Alashankou (Alataw Pass) Customs House (affiliated to Urumqi Customs District) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and in Manzhouli Customs District in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to make possible the immediate handling of customs formalities upon the arrival of the goods, making customs clearance “efficient, accurate and incomparable”.
Taking into consideration the risk management concept and the simple composition of the import and export goods transported by China-Europe trains, Customs officers try to improve customs control efficiency by using high technologies, for example, with the support of a canning system for large-seized vehicles, Customs officers can inspect the goods loaded on the trains in a non-intrusive way. Customs officers will take measures to ensure a more efficient clearance built on an effective inspection.
Customs administrations work closely together to ensure a sound clearance of the goods. Officers of different Customs administrations, adopting the clearance model of “declare at home, release at port”, watch carefully the whole clearance process of the goods (including their transportation, arrival and departure) based on a frank exchange of information and an effective prevention of possible problems.
What’s more, China Customs takes an active part into the international cooperation and keep the communication channels open by taking under advisement the establishment of a communication mechanism with the different national Customs administrations( for example, Kazakhstan Customs and Russian Customs) of the countries located along the China-Europe rail routes, briefing other national Customs administrations on principal work tasks periodically and by solving problems occurred in the entering and leaving of the China-Europe trains through coordination.
Mr. Zhang Guangzhi, the spokesman of the General Administration of Customs, said China Customs would promote the regional clearance model to be used in all Customs districts in the country this year. Efforts will also be made to improve the internal cooperation and mutual recognition mechanism to make cross-customs clearance simpler and easier. In all, customs officers will do whatever they can to support the national economic development.
Zhang also said China Customs would device a plan to implement the “One Belt and One Road” strategy, trying to accomplish such key tasks as the establishment and optimization of a cooperation mechanism for easy clearance for goods ferried by China-Europe trains, innovation on the customs control system for multimodal transportation and enhancement on the cooperation on the front of connectivity with national Customs of the countries located along the “One Belt and One Road”.
