Ports of opening-up are important platforms for global resource allocation, essential hubs for the open development of countries or regions to connect with the worldwide market, and new engines for regional economic development.

The Action Plan for Thoroughly Integrating into and Co-building the “Belt and Road” and Speeding up the Construction of an Exemplary Inland City of Opening-up has made it clear that Chongqing is going to improve the ports of opening-up and construct a collecting and distributing center for unimpeded trade. By 2022, the city will form a new pattern of opening-up featuring all dimensions, multiple levels, and wide ranges and preliminarily build an inland international logistics hub and a port highland.

How will it accelerate the construction of the inland port highland? On October 25, Shan Wei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group of Chongqing Customs District P.R.CHINA (Chongqing Customs), Deng Jing, Doctor of the Institute of International Trade and Logistics, Chongqing Academy of Social Sciences, Tan Pingchuan, Chairman of Chongqing Airport Group Co., Ltd., Tang Lin, Chairman of Chongqing Bonded Port Area, and Zhang Chaoyi, Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group of Chongqing Shipping Exchange were interviewed by the reporter on this issue.

Cuntan Port

Accelerating the construction of intelligent ports to facilitate customs clearance

Q: To improve the efficiency of customs clearance, the development of intelligent ports is indispensable. How should Chongqing promote the construction of intelligent ports?

Shan Wei: In the future, we will, according to the unified deployment of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, further enhance the level of smart supervision of Chongqing Customs and promote regulatory cooperation with Singapore Customs, so as to lay a foundation for fully realizing the customs supervision data exchange and information sharing along the route.

Meanwhile, we will promote the construction of a data-sharing platform for China-Singapore inter-customs cooperation in the Single Window for International Trade of Chongqing, and explore the possibilities of information sharing on health quarantine, mutual recognition of supervision and mutual assistance in law enforcement between international ports, with the China-Singapore interactive exchange platform as a pilot project.

Tan Pingchuan: At present, Chongqing’s smart airport has entered the stage of rapid construction, basically realizing the intelligent service assurance for passengers in the whole process. As for the customs clearance efficiency, we will first open eight pilot self-service security check channels in international (regional) security check areas, which will shorten the time of security check by 50%. In the future, Jiangbei International Airport will also continue to promote the planning and construction of smart aviation logistics, launch the design of the international intelligent warehouse system for arrival at ports, and establish an “intelligent warehouse” integrating automatic three-dimensional warehouses, cargo tracking and positioning, real-time monitoring of the storage status and intelligent management functions.

Developing the port economy and building a collecting & distributing center for unimpeded trade

Q: How to make a collecting and distributing center for unfettered trade in trading ports?

Shan Wei: It requires the joint efforts of the government, enterprises, and supervision departments. The main work of Chongqing Customs as a supervision department is to improve the efficiency of supervision and ensure the timeliness of customs clearance.

Deng Jing: An internationally compatible port economic development pattern requires building a collecting and distributing center for unimpeded trade. We also need to integrate the development of ports and industries, focus on the development of the port logistics industry in the forms of bonded logistics, professional storage, and urban distribution.

Besides, we should promote integrated development of the ports and an international city, research and compile the construction planning of a global port city with high standards, construct modern commercial facilities and supporting facilities in line with international standards, establish a policy support system to promote the construction of a port highland, and strengthen the development of a training system for high-quality professional personnel of the port economy.

Tang Lin: Chongqing Bonded Port Area could gather the main parts of opening-up and improve the level of foreign trade through the specially-set port, the commodity display and trading center platform of the “Belt and Road,” the processing trade platform of opening-up and the innovative development platform for service trade.

Zhang Chaoyi: Chongqing Shipping Exchange will accelerate the construction of a modern shipping service system with complete elements and convenient services. It aims to optimize the port business process to provide logistics information services for multimodal container transportation and through the carriage and improve the shipping information service capacity by relying on Chongqing Traffic E-port and Chongqing Shipping Transaction Settlement Platform.

Taking a series of specific measures to build an inland port highland 

Q: By 2022, Chongqing will form a new pattern of opening-up that features all dimensions, multiple levels, and wide ranges and preliminarily construct an inland international logistics hub and a port highland. What should we do to achieve this?

Shan Wei: In terms of strengthening the management of port construction, Chongqing Customs actively cooperates with relevant departments and units to promote the integration and mutual support of various modes of transportation including the railway, water, aviation and highway and provides integrated customs clearance, convenient transportation and other comprehensive logistics services for cross-border trade, thus significantly improving the channel capacity and the level of internal and external connection. It keeps improving the port service functions and making every effort to create a more quality, convenient, and efficient port customs clearance environment.

Tan Pingchuan: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport will actively create an aviation platform for inland opening-up, accelerate the construction of Chongqing’s international aviation hub, and build a comprehensive network of transportation hubs connecting five continents with trunk lines and branches. By 2020, it is expected that the annual passenger throughput of the airport will reach 50 million, and the number of international and regional air routes will exceed 100.

Tang Lin: Chongqing Bonded Port Area will make full use of its geographical advantages to build a multimodal transport base based on Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing Airport Economic Demonstration Zone, Airport Functional Zone of Bonded Port Area and the Airport International Trade Logistics Park. It will build a logistics hub platform relying on the Airport International Trade Logistics Park to develop the air cargo network and international road-rail and road-water multimodal transport businesses.