The State Council issued the Overall Plan for Lin-gang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in August 2019 to establish a Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone. In addition, the General Administration of Customs issued the Announcement on Issuing the Measures of the Customs of the People's Republic of China for the Supervision of the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone, which ensures that goods entering the zone must be bonded or exempt from taxes and enterprises in the Yangshan zone may carry out businesses such as transfers, consolidation, storage, processing, manufacturing, trading, display, research and development, remanufacturing, inspection and maintenance, and distribution.

A total of 525 Mercedes-Benz cars costing 140 million yuan ($20.3 million) have arrived in the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone from the Shanghai Waigaoqiao International Cruise Terminal (Haitong Pier). This indicates that taxation policy on imported cars at Shanghai ports has transformed into a bonded warehousing policy.

I. Main functions of the plan

Yangshan Customs provides enterprises with preferential tax policies. The Yangshan zone strictly adheres to a policy of "bonded system and warehouse storage", with collaborative support from the Customs supervision department and Customs commodity inspection department. The Yangshan zone has advanced communication with various enterprises involved in automobile imports, promoted a policy of "bonded system + warehousing" and attracted a number of import brands. The zone has also formulated an automobile move-in plan, provided guidance on the improvement of supervision facilities, and supported visual inspection of imported cars among enterprises by offering corresponding clearance plans.

Case 1

Shanghai Origin Supply Chain Management Co Ltd was responsible for importing a batch of Mercedes-Benz cars that included the GLC200, GLC300, C180T, C200T, and more.

The bonded warehousing system achieved in the Yangshan zone can help automakers and dealers to make their operations more flexible and efficient, according to Huang Yingming, chairman of Shanghai Origin Supply Chain Management. It may also reduce costs and capital pressure, he said.

Huang added that the Yangshan zone now only takes one week after placing an overseas order to sell imported cars, shortened from two months previously.

II. Results of the plan's implementation

The "bonded warehouse" system for imported cars takes full advantage of the resources of the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone and the systematic strengths of bonded policies to alleviate capital pressure, which will benefit the automobile, warehousing and storage, and logistics industries. In addition, it will increase market supplies and quickly respond to the demands of the imported car supply chain in an effort to turn Yangshan Zone into a hub for global automobile resource allocation.