The Chongzuo area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) has promoted its development of smart ports to meet the growing demand for customs clearances.

That's in the wake of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a trading agreement coming into force, with China as one of the signatories, an accord that is seeing the slashing of regional tariffs between member states.

The Chongzuo area of the Guangxi FTZ. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_df8bc987e060]

Chongzuo has now achieved 24-hour customs clearance services for cross-border e-commerce, bonded logistics and processing in the Pingxiang Comprehensive Bonded Zone.

The Youyiguan Border Gate has enabled a fast clearance and inspection mode for vehicles. Under the system, single-vehicle inspection times have been compressed to within 30 seconds. The intelligent clearance level and efficiency of the Youyiguan Border Gate ranks first in Guangxi.

The construction of smart ports is expected to promote Pingxiang to become the fruit capital of China-ASEAN.

In the first quarter of the year, the amount of imported fruit from Southeast Asia exceeded 7,000 metric tons, with a total cargo weight of nearly 140,000 tons.

Of that, 61,000 tons of durian were imported, up a whopping 633.6 percent compared with the same period last year, while the import volume accounted for 66.3 percent of the entire country. As a result, the Youyiguan Border Gate has become the largest durian import port in China.

In addition, the Chongzuo area of the Guangxi FTZ is now focused on expanding imports and exports. At present, it has opened 22 cross-border highway logistics routes and 13 cross-border railway train services, connecting more than 20 major hub cities in ASEAN countries.