The comprehensive bonded zone in the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province has begun full operations. “As a special customs supervision area offering the highest level of openness and the most favorable policies, the fully operational bonded zone will serve the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy and promote the construction of Xiong’an New Area as a modern city with high standards and quality,” said Zhang Jing, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the Xiong’an Free Trade Zone. The newly launched second phase, covering 0.21 square kilometers, will focus on high-end manufacturing, smart logistics, research and development design, as well as inspection and maintenance. The area will combine the bonded zone and the free trade zone, cultivating “bonded-plus” business models, and building an internationally influential trade hub, according to Zhang.
Established with the State Council’s approval in June 2023, the bonded zone consists of two phases. The first phase began operations in January 2024 and has made progress in customs clearance reforms and the development of bonded businesses. The bonded zone recorded more than CNY60 billion in total import and export value last year. It has attracted major enterprises. The zone has also piloted clearance models such as direct loading for exports and streamlined inspection for imports, Zhang said. Yuan Longzhou, Deputy General Manager of Xiong’an Electronic Port Co, which operates cross-border e-commerce businesses in the zone, said authorities have provided support, including warehouse rent subsidies and assistance with local hiring. Li Yufeng, Deputy Director of Xiong’an Customs, said the zone has registered 121 enterprises to date, including 47 customs-registered companies and three subsidiaries of central state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Industrial projects have attracted CNY520 million in investment.
“Customs will upgrade supervision services, implement one-stop clearance procedures, improve logistics connectivity with surrounding ports, and use technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain to build smart customs systems with digital supervision models, further optimizing the business environment,” Li said, as reported by the China Daily.
