Recently, 1,600 tons of feed wheat flour transported by the China-Europe Railway Express arrived in Shandong, China. Through the Customs “tax and inspection integration” fast-track process, the imported agricultural products were quickly cleared and delivered to feed manufacturers in southern Shandong.
Shandong is one of China's largest feed production regions. Since the beginning of this year, imports of feed wheat flour from Belt and Road partner countries via the China-Europe Railway Express have increased significantly. The newly introduced “tax and inspection integration” model has substantially reduced customs clearance time and improved supply chain efficiency.
Previously, imported feed wheat flour shipments often required separate sampling and testing procedures for taxation and inspection purposes, resulting in longer clearance times and potential storage or port detention costs.
To address these challenges, Qingdao Customs and Urumqi Customs jointly launched a pilot reform by combining inspection and taxation procedures into a single process. The new system enables “one-time sampling, one-time testing, and synchronized processing,” significantly improving customs efficiency.
For example, an imported shipment of 180 tons of feed wheat flour cleared customs eight days faster after customs officers completed integrated sampling and laboratory testing. The improvement helped the company reduce port storage costs by approximately RMB 16,000.
“Shorter clearance times have reduced warehousing and detention costs by more than RMB 200,000 annually. Faster capital turnover allows us to accept more orders and expand import operations,” said Li Xiqin, chairman of Linyi New Business Development Co., Ltd.
The reform has now been expanded to additional imported commodities, including fuel oil, copper concentrate, and coal. The cross-regional cooperation between Qingdao Customs and Urumqi Customs further demonstrates China's efforts to optimize customs services and strengthen international supply chain connectivity.
With continuous improvements in customs efficiency and logistics infrastructure, the China-Europe Railway Express is becoming an increasingly important channel for international trade between China and Belt and Road partner countries.
