Xiamen Customs staff members inspect the goods. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]
A batch of cassava starch, comprising 10 containers with a total value of 425,000 yuan ($61,180), was imported from Vietnam to Xiamen's Dongdu Port on Jan 27.
Following a declaration under the new water-water multimodal transshipment model, it was shipped via feeder vessel to the Haiying Terminal in Mawei, Fuzhou.
As one of China's first cargo batches utilizing this innovative model, its movement signifies the operational launch of the water-water transshipment pilot in Fujian, implementing the principle of "a single declaration, one document for seamless transit, and one container through to the end".
The General Administration of Customs announced on Jan 20 the launch of pilot programs for new customs supervision models covering sea-rail and water-water multimodal transport for import and export goods, expanding upon the existing pilot for export-oriented rail-road transport.
Under this new framework, companies can achieve "one-time declaration and seamless document processing" by submitting a single multimodal transport waybill to customs through the International Trade Single Window.
The pilot simplifies declaration requirements, supports flexible logistics operations such as transshipment, and offers benefits including more concise data submission, streamlined clearance procedures, and greater operational flexibility.
The new model is expected to reduce customs clearance time for local enterprises by over 30 percent and lower overall logistics costs by more than 20 percent.