China unveils plan to improve customs efficiency

BEIJING - China has released a plan to improve the business environment at customs to promote cross-border trade.

The plan issued by the State Council detailed 20 measures aiming to create a stable, fair, transparent and predictable business environment at customs.

Clearance documents subject to verification will be reduced from 86 to 48 by Nov 1, as part of efforts to cut administrative red tape.

To improve efficiency, logistics information should be registered on electronic systems while random checks at customs should also be improved using advanced systems.

By the end of 2021, the plan aims to reduce clearance time by half, compared with 2017.

Administrative fees will also be cut, with the compliance costs of containers in clearing reduced by half at the end of 2020, as compared with 2017.