Replication and Promotion of Pingtan’s 14 Customs Clearance Experiences throughout the Province

On October 14, the reporter learned from Office of Pingtan Free Trade Area that Pingtan’s 14 customs clearance experiences have received the written reply from Leading Group Office of Fujian Pilot Free Trade Zone, which requires promotion of Pingtan’s fast-track customs clearance experiences throughout the province to further improve the whole province’s trade facilitation standard.

The 14 customs clearance experiences include: establishment of workgroups that reduce customs clearance time, working mechanism with no overnight inspection instruction, inspection and quarantine mode of “sampling inspection during shelf placement for distribution” implemented for fruits imported from Taiwan, “positive list” system for exemption from examination of plant and animal quarantine certificate, mobile payment of inbound personal postal articles tax levied, global quality traceability system, digital management on maritime courier documents, tariff guarantee insurance system, “visa application on arrival, which become effective immediately” for outbound mainland visitors visiting Taiwan, information collection and filing services provided at e-channels of immigration inspection, advanced certificate application mode provided at immigration inspection featured by “advanced certificate application in case of people waiting for ship”, advanced service mode characterized by pre-inspection and pre-examination, integrity management for pass through the whole zone and recognition of technical certificates and licenses of Taiwan’s ships enter and exit the port.

Since the official establishment of Pingtan Free Trade Area, the customs, maritime affairs, immigration inspection, public security and other departments have actively promoted trade facilitation reform, made continuous innovations on services and measures, eliminated jams and pain points that affecting customs clearance efficiency, introduced a series of fast-track customs clearance measures, strived to build a customs clearance brand featured by “the lowest cost, the most convenient customs clearance, the most punctual arrival of goods, the most supportive services and the most preferential policies”, and further given play to the demonstration and leading role of the pilot free trade area.

By now the overall customs clearance time for import and export at Port of Pingtan are 4.86 hours and 0.36 hour respectively, which take the lead in Fuzhou Customs District. The port’s overall import customs clearance time and overall export customs clearance time have entered single digit and decimal era respectively.