Fully escort the acceleration and efficiency improvement of the China Europe freight train

On the morning of February 13th, trucks loaded with goods drove into the export assembly center of the China Europe freight train in Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone, without the imagined long queues or cumbersome procedures. They underwent joint inspections of the same batch of goods by customs officers and railway security personnel in the inspection area. At the smart checkpoint, the camera instantly recognizes the license plate and box number, and the barrier gate automatically lifts the pole to release the vehicle.

This efficient and smooth customs clearance scene is a vivid reflection of Xi'an Customs' promotion of integrated supervision of "pre security check and one-stop inspection", the construction of Xi'an Port's intelligent customs clearance system, and the implementation of multiple measures to benefit enterprises.

Xi'an Customs deepens the reform of "district port integration", supports the expansion of export gathering centers, further improves cross-border logistics convenience, and fully safeguards the acceleration and efficiency of China Europe freight trains. In 2025, the China Europe freight train (Xi'an) will import and export 39.52 billion yuan through the Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone, accounting for 54.2% of the total import and export value of the train. The cross-border e-commerce export list transported by the China Europe freight train (Xi'an) for the whole year will increase by about 5.8 times year-on-year.

Integrated supervision, from "two lines" to "one game of chess"

Break down regulatory barriers and unblock logistics bottlenecks. On February 13th at 10 o'clock, a batch of daily necessities and car parts from the Yangtze River Delta were cleared quickly through "inspection first, then packing".

Previously, it took 4 hours to unpack and inspect complex goods at the port, but now it can be inspected before packing, "said Duan Qingtao, Deputy Director of the Customs Supervision Department at Xi'an Station." This not only avoids damage to unpacked goods, but also saves 2 to 3 days in overall customs clearance time

It wasn't like this before, "recalled Huang Weitao, the customs director of Xi'an Yongbang Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd." Customs checked once, railways checked again, and the goods got stuck in the middle, which made me very anxious

In the past, customs inspection and railway security check were two separate lines. Although Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone is only 1.5 kilometers away from the railway center station in a straight line, the linkage between the zone and the port is insufficient, and the export of goods requires multiple connections from enterprises, which not only takes time and effort, but also increases logistics costs.

In order to improve customs clearance efficiency, Xi'an Customs, in collaboration with the railway department and Xi'an Chanba International Port, actively promotes the integrated supervision of "pre security check and one-stop inspection", placing railway security check in the port operation area of Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone, and handling customs inspection in a "one-stop" manner.

Now the customs and railways have achieved 'one inspection, mutual recognition between the district and the port' within the Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone, "Huang Weitao said with a smile." Once the goods leave this gate, they can be directly transported to the train, which is much more convenient

It is reported that after the implementation of the integrated supervision mode of export cargo zones and ports, the efficiency of goods circulation has been compressed from more than two days to within two hours, and the export clearance time has been reduced from 1.6 hours to 0.8 hours, a decrease of 50%.

Digital empowerment transforms' manual running 'into' data running '

Integrated supervision has cleared the "intermediate obstacles" in the flow of goods, while digital empowerment has reduced links and saved manpower, allowing goods to pass customs at an "accelerated" pace.

We have supporting facilities such as video surveillance and intelligent checkpoints, and the entire process of customs clearance for goods is' entering the system, leaving traces, and traceable '. While efficiently assembling, inspecting, and releasing goods, we also achieve full process informatization and intelligent supervision, "said Duan Qingtao.

At the smart checkpoint, Yan Tingni, the customs supervisor of Deming Supply Chain (Xi'an) Co., Ltd., displayed on the "Smart Customs Clearance" app on her mobile phone that "No inspection instructions, automatic release allowed".

At the same time, the vehicle passed through the gate and drove out of Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone.

In the past, the transportation of goods required dedicated personnel to command and coordinate, and all vehicles could only pass through the trucks after they arrived, which invisibly increased the cost of loss due to congestion and waiting time. Duan Qingtao introduced that in order to reverse the dilemma of "waiting for goods by vehicle", Xi'an Customs broke the traditional "full declaration and full export" restriction and innovatively launched the "one ticket, multiple vehicles" mode, which can quickly clear customs even for single box goods, "as soon as they arrive and leave". The new model makes cargo transportation more flexible and significantly improves logistics efficiency.

The essence of digital empowerment is to replace "manual errand running" with "data running". Swipe the "Smart Clearance" app interface to see the real-time clearance status and logistics dynamics of the goods. From scheduling inspections, waiting for inspections, to final release instructions, everything is updated in real time. There is no need to send dedicated personnel to keep track of progress anymore, "Yan Tingni said.

From "dedicated personnel running" to "fingertip handling", technology empowers the entire customs clearance chain, making cumbersome procedures "streamlined" and customs clearance efficiency "accelerated", relieving process burdens and enabling enterprises to move forward with ease.

Facilitation policies not only "reduce costs" but also "increase confidence"

In addition to improving customs clearance efficiency, enterprises place greater emphasis on tangible cost dividends. Xi'an Customs has implemented multiple facilitation policies and injected vitality into the development of enterprises with the support of "real money and silver".

Export is one of the "three pillars" driving economic growth, and the "long tax refund cycle" is a difficult problem that restricts the turnover of enterprise funds. Xi'an Customs implements the policy of "tax refund upon entry into the zone", and export goods can be refunded upon entering the Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone.

Not long after the shipment started, the customer told me that the tax refund had been received, "Ji Huafeng, the customs supervisor of Xi'an Mingyao Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd., checked her phone information." We just acted as an agent for customs declaration and exported a batch of 45 containers of car parts sent from Anhui, which are already on their way to Russia

It is reported that the traditional departure tax refund cycle is about 60 to 90 days, while the "tax refund upon entry" process takes at least 2 weeks, significantly shortening the tax refund cycle. This can reduce the problem of capital lock up in a single export link enterprise and enhance the enterprise's ability to resist risks. Enterprises generally invest the pre recovered tax refund funds into high turnover and high-yield business processes, directly driving scale expansion.

For small and medium-sized enterprises, "bonded warehousing and bulk cargo consolidation" services are particularly helpful. Enterprises no longer need to ship in full containers and can flexibly organize and consolidate goods within the area, effectively reducing logistics costs.

After the implementation of this service, a free storage area will be set up in the area, and free crane operations will be arranged. At the same time, the dispatch station will also be free. Overall, it can save domestic logistics costs of about 500 yuan/container for enterprises, which is a real reduction in burden, "said Li Xiaoqing, the customs director of Xi'an Western Europe Express International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.

In 2025, Xi'an Customs will promote multiple measures to benefit enterprises, deducting domestic freight charges of 13.095 million yuan for 407 imported enterprises and reducing their tax burden by 1.061 million yuan.

As of now, the cumulative operation of the China Europe freight train (Xi'an) has exceeded 30000 trains, and its main indicators such as operating volume, freight volume, and heavy container rate remain among the top in the country.

Camel Bell Ancient Road, a new journey begins. 2026 is the starting year of the 15th Five Year Plan. The provincial government's work report proposes to build the China Europe freight train economic circle and create an international logistics hub center that integrates port trade and industry. Xi'an Customs is working together to promote the full chain intelligent transformation, helping the "steel camel caravan" of the China Europe freight train to run more steadily, faster, and farther, injecting a continuous stream of strong momentum into Shaanxi's efforts to build an inland reform and opening-up highland.