On January 15, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference. A spokesperson stated that multiple measures will be taken to strengthen efforts to stabilize foreign trade and safeguard its fundamentals. The Ministry of Commerce will implement policies to stabilize foreign trade, provide targeted assistance to enterprises, strengthen situation analysis and research, and innovate measures to support businesses. On the one hand, it will help enterprises stabilize traditional markets and expand into emerging markets, increase support for participation in exhibitions, and hold trade promotion activities. On the other hand, it will accelerate the cultivation of new growth drivers, develop cross-border e-commerce to empower industrial belts, support the intelligent transformation of overseas warehouses, enhance the competitiveness of green and low-carbon products, promote the application of artificial intelligence in foreign trade, and improve the level of trade digitalization. Furthermore, it will promote balanced development of imports and exports, build the “Export to China” brand, hold import promotion activities, and establish exchange platforms.
Driven by the new regulations of the General Administration of Customs, on January 15, many places across the country simultaneously launched the innovative businesses of “TIR + Bonded” and “TIR + Cross-border E-commerce”, marking an important upgrade for my country’s cross-border logistics. The TIR system is based on the United Nations Convention on International Road Transport, with more than 70 contracting states participating worldwide. Vehicles holding TIR certificates can travel across borders efficiently. This innovative model incorporates bonded goods and cross-border e-commerce goods into the TIR transport system, realizing the integration of transportation with policies and regulatory models. In Henan, “TIR + Bonded” goods are directly transported from Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone to Russia; in Kashgar, Xinjiang, vehicles loaded with daily necessities are heading to Pakistan and Uzbekistan respectively; and related goods have also been dispatched from Wenzhou, Zhejiang. A business manager from a Wenzhou company stated that the ‘TIR+’ model allows for tax refunds approximately 10 days earlier and reduces transportation time by about 65%. The General Administration of Customs issued an announcement including cross-border e-commerce goods and bonded goods in the Convention on International Road Transport, clarifying declaration standards, and allowing companies to handle customs clearance through the ‘single window’. On January 15th, customs offices in Hangzhou, Qingdao, and other locations piloted the program. For example, a TIR transport vehicle in Qingdao transported over 9,000 pairs of shoes directly to Moscow, Russia, using the ‘TIR+bonded’ model. Under the ‘TIR+bonded’ supervision model, the storage, transportation, and export of goods are more convenient for companies, and imported goods can be stored in bonded warehouses, alleviating financial pressure. International road transport costs are only 25% of air transport and is twice as fast as rail transport. Combined with the policy advantages of comprehensive bonded zones, this makes import and export more flexible. A cross-border e-commerce company executive stated that the “TIR + Bonded” model allows businesses to enjoy policy benefits. Currently, there are 272 licensed companies in China, and the number of supervised businesses is projected to increase by 1.1 times by 2025. More than 70 international road transport routes have been opened nationwide, covering multiple countries, improving the ease of customs clearance. These measures provide strong support for Chinese goods to be sold better worldwide, driving the continuous development of the foreign trade industry.
