Qingdao keeps one of the best cross-border business environment in China

Recently, the results of the 2020 China Business Environment Assessment were released. Qingdaos cross-border trade environment ranked among the top ten in term of the cross-border trade indicators of national business environment assessment. Reform measures such as paperless and implementation of diversified tax guarantees have been recognized by the competent national authority. This is another outstanding achievement after the city won the second place in the "Business Environment Assessment of Chinas Top Ten Shipping Container Ports" at the end of 2020.
Since last year, Qingdao customs focused on speeding up, reducing fees and increasing efficiency to serve the opening-up development and to make contributions to the steady growth of foreign trade under normalized epidemic prevention and control.
The customs authority implemented process re-engineering and continued to reduce customs clearance time. A port business environment advisory committee composed of industry experts was established, and the University of International Business and Economics was entrusted to evaluate the citys cross-border trade. The customs authority organized more than 520 companies to participate in 6 customs clearance facilitation policy interpretation meetings, and encouraged companies to utilize new customs clearance modes. The customs authority established the country’s first virtual verification center for certificates of origin, implemented for the first time in China the bonded crude oil blending business supervision model, and executed crude oil tankless handling international transfer, bonded ore blending "unloading while mixing”, and cotton "integrated inspection + batch exit" models to upgrade Qingdao Port from an unloading port to a logistics port and a trading port. By the end of 2020, the average customs clearance time of import and export are reduced to 38.49 hours and 2.48 hours, down 60.15% and 88.47% respectively than 2017.
Qingdao customs regulated charges at the port and continued to reduce customs clearance cost. It promulgated Qingdao shipping container import and export operation time limit and cost and continued to intensify the transparency of the port logistic operation. Qingdao customs reduced cargo port dues, port facilities security fee and exempted the port construction fee during epidemic period. Qingdao Port implemented 16 measures to promote foreign trade development and reduced and exempted nearly 100 million Yuan container storage yard usage charge every year. The port reduced lifting and shifting storage expense for foreign enterprises that qualify inspection of the customs and saved 47.15 million Yuan for them.