On June 23, Weifang’s first “TIR+bonded” cross-border e-commerce export goods were officially shipped from the Zhucheng Bonded Logistics Center and sent directly to Russia, marking a breakthrough in Weifang’s cross-border land bonded intermodal transport business and adding a cost-effective fast lane for local foreign trade companies to go overseas.
At the departure site of the Zhucheng Bonded Logistics Center, a TIR freight vehicle loaded with domestically produced electromechanical equipment slowly drove out after completing all customs clearance procedures. It will then go directly to the receiving point in Russia along the Eurasian highway transportation route. There is no need to open the box for inspection during the entire process, and the transportation time is nearly 40% higher than the traditional transit mode.
According to the person in charge of the relevant business, TIR, the Convention on International Road Transport, is a convenient cross-border cargo movement mechanism under the framework of the United Nations. Vehicles holding TIR certificates can travel smoothly between more than 70 contracting countries around the world. The entire process only needs to be inspected twice at the place of departure and destination. There is no need to open the box or pay a transit deposit repeatedly in the middle, which greatly reduces customs clearance time and cross-border transportation costs.
The “TIR+bonded” model further adds to the policy advantages of tax exemption, bonding and tax rebates in bonded logistics centers, and can provide foreign trade companies with one-stop standardized services integrating warehousing, customs declaration and transportation, realizing the synergy of “1+1>2”. Estimates show that companies using this model can reduce export logistics costs by an average of about 20%, and customs clearance time can be reduced by up to 70%.
The rapid implementation of this business stems from the working mechanism of the local commerce and customs departments to proactively provide services and relieve the congestion of foreign trade enterprises.
Since the beginning of this year, the local government has collected through visits and surveys the pain points commonly reported by foreign trade companies such as multiple export transit links, high international shipping costs, and cumbersome customs clearance procedures. It has deeply explored the platform function potential of the Zhucheng Bonded Logistics Center, jointly sorted out the advantages of policy combinations, and cultivated a new “TIR + bonded” cross-border e-commerce export format in a targeted manner.
In the process of business implementation, the customs has set up a special post for TIR business, launched 7×24 hours scheduled customs clearance services, and opened up the entire process link of declaration, review, inspection, and sealing. The commercial department has simultaneously carried out multiple rounds of policy interpretation and operational guidance for foreign trade enterprises in the jurisdiction to ensure that the first shipment of goods is quickly and smoothly released.
According to reports, the local area will continue to improve cross-border e-commerce export supporting services, further promote the implementation of new business formats such as “bonded warehousing + vehicle export”, and simultaneously build a regional imported grain distribution center, making every effort to create a new highland for opening up and development, and help more local high-quality products be sold to the Eurasian market through convenient land channels.
