On May 6, a batch of office supplies like folders from Yiwu completed all customs clearance procedures, and were loaded into containers and directly boarded the liner to South Korea. “It’s a smooth process from Yiwu to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. It’s less time or effort consuming.” said Cao Xiaojian, General Manager of Zhejiang Longshang Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
As a key link connecting Yiwu and Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan Grand Passage has become a preferred choice for more and more foreign trade enterprises. According to customs statistics, the export value of Yiwu reached 178.61 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, with a year-on-year increase of 21.3%. The export value via Ningbo Port amounted to 104.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.8%. Nearly 60% of the commodities from Yiwu were exported via Ningbo Port.
In terms of the commodity category, the proportion of high value-added categories such as household goods, hardware tools, and cultural and sports goods has been on the rise. From the perspective of destinations, the proportion of such emerging markets as South America, Africa, and the Middle East is gradually increasing, and the trade network is becoming more diverse.
“The acceleration of Yiwu goods gathering in Ningbo is essentially the result of the combined effects of high channel efficiency, better regulatory effectiveness, and comprehensive service capabilities,” said Wang Yu, Deputy Director of the Supervision Department of Ningbo Customs.
In response to the characteristics of “multiple batches but small scales” of small commodities from Yiwu, Ningbo Customs has pioneered the “inspection before shipment” supervision mode. The goods enter the “consolidation warehouse” at the port in bulk form, and after inspection, they are flexibly packed and shipped according to the shipping schedule, which not only reduces repeated disassembly and assembly, but also allows enterprises more time for the shipping schedule. “We used to be most afraid of rushing the shipping schedule. Now that the inspection is completed ahead of schedule, the pace is in control.” said Chen Zhaohui, Deputy General Manager of Zhejiang Huaxin International Logistics Co., Ltd. In the first quarter of this year, the value of LCL cargo inspection and release exceeded 20 billion yuan, ranking on the top throughout the country.
Meanwhile, relying on intelligent locks and full tracking technology, goods are shipped from Yiwu and can be inspected and released through an intelligent sealing channel upon arrival at the port at any time of the day. The phenomenon of queuing trucks is greatly reduced, and the time is more controllable.
In addition, regulatory services have been moved to Yiwu International Inland Port, promoting the integration of customs declaration, inspection, and loading processes locally. The “departure from, direct connection, and one-time completion” model is becoming increasingly mature. For such new formats as cross-border e-commerce and small packages, new paths such as mail and sea freight also provide stable overseas channels for fragmented orders. According to Zhang Bin, Business Manager of Zhejiang Boyuan Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd., the overall clearance time can be reduced by two to three days now.
In the first quarter of this year, the sea-rail intermodal trains from Yiwu to Ningbo-Zhoushan Port shipped a total of 76,000 TEUs of goods, a year-on-year increase of 115.6%, showing that an increasing number of goods are gathering at the port.
