Chongqing- Container trucks full of laptop products were driving out of customs orderly with a quick scan of the response (QR) code at the Chongqing Lianglu Guoyuan Port Comprehensive Bonded Zone (CBZ) recently.

QR code scanning machines provide enterprises with real-time feedback, which reduces the time it takes for vehicles to be released out of the zone and reduces the need to verify the release list.

The Chongqing Customs District has developed technological applications to assist enterprises and users in effectively improving foreign trade policy. 

Innovative QR code to serve goods out of the zone

"We have occasionally had weight abnormalities caused by inaccurate weighbridge data, and we have to arrange for personnel to check on the site," said a customs representative. "This year, our foreign trade performance has risen against the trend, but fewer people are dispatched to resolve abnormalities with shorter clearance time. "

"Especially in light of the difficult international epidemic situation, the speedy clearance of customs has made us more confident about increasing production," he said.

CBZ has passed 75,000 vehicles worth 3.24 billion yuan since implementing an innovative mode of QR code on October 1, 2020.

From January to July this year, the customs supervised a total of 24.2039 million products out of the zone, such as finished desktop computers, laptops, and intelligent electronic wearable devices, with a value of 56.189 billion yuan, up 19.41% and 18.24%, respectively year on year.

Last year, Chongqing Customs District took the lead in piloting the application of commodity barcodes in cross-border e-commerce retail import channels.

"Cross-border e-commerce uses commodity barcodes to disseminate information uniformly," said Xia Yan, Chief of the Cross-border E-commerce Supervision Section of CBZ.

Xia explained that on the B-side or sellers of business-to-consumer (B2C), commodity barcodes unify the element information that needs to be declared for e-commerce commodities as standard attributes. A "two-dimensional traceability source code" is affixed to the product's barcode on the C-side or consumers. In this mode, scannable mobile phones can provide customs clearance information for the purchased product.

The primary customs database now contains the barcode information for 30,000 items of goods included in the pilot project of full traceability and supervision through commodity barcode management. This has helped enterprises correct over 800 commodity barcodes, and the percentage of correctly declared barcodes has increased to 98%.

 "One-code processing" service to save time

As a crucial and essential document in international trade, the Certificate of Origin (CO) certifies the origin of goods in foreign trade, thereby reducing tariffs and allowing them to enjoy other preferential treatment. 

CBZ implemented suitable measures such as the self-printing of CO to lower enterprises' costs and improve signature verification efficiency.

For enterprises that cannot self-print certain certificates, Customs has launched a new service, "One-Code Processing," that allows them to scan an identification code to receive blank certificates, conduct business consultations, and create a closed-loop service system for online certificate signing. 

From January to July this year, the customs issued 5,195 export certificates of origin for enterprises through self-service printing and "one-code processing" with a visa amount of 5.92 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 40.09%.

(Zhu Qinzhuo, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)