Taiyuan customs, a national entry and exit supervision and management agency established in the capital city of North China's Shanxi province, recently rolled out a slew of measures to support the development of the China Railway Express freight train service to Europe. 

The initiative represents a move to help Shanxi integrate into the development of the national Belt and Road Initiative and develop into an inland province that leads the opening up. 

Officials said the 16 measures involve six areas including streamlining the customs operation process, constructing special facilities for the China-Europe cargo train services, as well as customs information sharing and interconnections. 

Taiyuan customs will allow companies to choose their own customs clearance modes, expand customs business reform measures and encourage enterprises to apply to the customs for consolidated manifests -- so as to reduce their declarations and costs. 

The customs office will focus on supporting the construction of the hub in Shanxi for China-Europe cargo train transport. It will be with developing multimodal transportation with railways as a link, further expanding business coverage, implementing bonded policies and improving the number and quality of China-Europe freight train services. 

The customs will also monitor the construction progress of the new Zhongding Logistics' public bonded warehouses and encourage qualified China-Europe cargo train stations in Shanxi to conduct special business in such areas as grain, meat and finished vehicle imports.

Officials said that in terms of information sharing and interconnections, the Taiyuan customs office will expand inter-customs coordination and cooperation. It will promote information sharing and business collaboration between customs and railways, as well as improve the levels of electronic and automated management of customs clearance for the China-Europe cargo train services.

In addition, the customs office plans to help Shanxi high-quality products -- including fruit and meat -- to go overseas by means of China-Europe freight trains. 

The customs will encourage companies to use the return freight trains to expand imports of high-quality and safe food and agricultural products. Key local export companies will receive targeted assistance from the customs in handling foreign technical barriers.

In recent years, China Railway Express' freight train services to Europe have developed rapidly in Shanxi province, with 102 cargo trains launched in 2019 alone. 

Lin Yuefei, deputy director of Taiyuan customs, said that the 16 new measures will help the northern inland province to promote the sustainable and healthy development of the local China-Europe cargo train services.