Chongqing - Chongqing Customs District announced on Friday that in 2024, Chongqing ranked first nationwide in laptop exports and third in motorcycle exports. Supported by key national policies, the city has enhanced its logistics network and expanded customs connectivity to advance inland opening-up and strengthen international cooperation.
A vehicle transfers a container at the dry port of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park in Shapingba District of Chongqing, southwest China, July 30, 2024. (Photo/Lyu Shuai, Xinhua)
Last year, Chongqing Customs District successfully secured 15 major policy measures from the General Administration of Customs, marking the first national-level support package for the development of an inland open hub. These measures reinforced Chongqing's role as a logistics and operational center for the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) and facilitated the approval of the Chongqing International Railway Port Comprehensive Bonded Zone. As a result, Chongqing now leads the 18 provincial-level regions in central and western China in the number of comprehensive bonded zones.
Chongqing’s export sector also witnessed remarkable growth. The city ranked first nationwide in laptop exports and third in motorcycle exports. Additionally, efforts to boost automobile exports resulted in 43.13 billion yuan (about 5.91 billion U.S. dollars) worth of car exports, a 30% year-on-year increase, while electric vehicle exports surged by 94% to 8.21 billion yuan.
Looking ahead, Chongqing Customs District will continue to support the city’s inland opening-up strategy in key areas.
Firstly, logistics and industrial hub development should be enhanced. Policies reducing freight costs for the ILSTC will be expanded to China-Laos and China-Vietnam rail routes, strengthening connectivity. Chongqing will also accelerate plans for bonded maintenance of aircraft engines and the importation of recycled copper, more effectively integrating logistics and industry. Additionally, foreign trade enterprises will be guided in leveraging new tax rebates and customs facilitation policies for land-based shipping, medicinal and food-related imports, and automobile exports via bonded zones.
Secondly, deepening customs connectivity with ASEAN. Building on last year’s Meeting on Customs Connectivity of the ILSTC, Chongqing will continue advancing practical cooperation, including cross-border road transport projects in the Greater Mekong Subregion. New rounds of customs collaboration with Singapore will further expedite export certification processes for Chongqing’s agricultural and food products.
Thirdly, Chongqing will accelerate the digital transformation of shipping and trade. It will push forward digital customs reforms, improving the integration of customs clearance, inspections, and logistics data at the municipal level. This initiative aims to enhance the digital ecosystem supporting the ILSTC, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the China-Europe Railway Express (Chengdu-Chongqing). Smart customs development will be aligned with Chongqing’s broader digital transformation strategy to modernize multimodal transport and logistics infrastructure.
With these measures, Chongqing Customs District remains committed to positioning the city as a key inland gateway for global trade and fostering deeper international cooperation.
(Yang Jun and Qiu Xiaoya, reporters from Chongqing Daily, contributed to this report's Chinese version.)