Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: The reduction in red tape is expected to reduce processing times by one-third.
The number of clearance documents subject to verification at ports will be reduced from 86 to 48 by Nov. 1, Zhang Guangzhi, a senior official with China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC), said at a recent press briefing.
Zhang also said procedures would be improved, citing unified customs, frontier and maritime inspections; improved random checks and information disclosure; advanced cargo declarations; and fast-track services for farm produce.
With the new policies, the GAC expects the time for import and export clearance to be cut by one-third by the end of the year. By 2021, they predict that export clearance will only take 6.15 hours, and 48 hours for imports—half the time needed in 2017. Administrative fees will also be lower and more transparent, Zhang said.
Local authorities will release their lists of charges before the end of October, and compliance costs of container clearance will be reduced by at least $100 compared to last year, Zhang said.
Chinese customs will continue to promote “single-window” clearance and make logistics services at ports more intelligent, Zhang said. At the end of this year, projections call for 80 percent of the main customs business to be handled via the single-window system, and 100 percent by the end of 2020.