Customs AEO 'golden signboard' drives a surge in foreign trade in Wuhan Free Trade Zone

Wuhan, August 12th (Xinhua) -- According to Wuhan Customs on the 12th, in the first half of 2026, the number of enterprises in the Wuhan area of China (Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone (referred to as "Wuhan Free Trade Zone") maintained rapid growth, reaching 5371; The import and export value of Wuhan Free Trade Zone was 157.886 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 55.57%, accounting for 36.75% of Hubei Province's total foreign trade.

Recently, Changfei Advanced Semiconductor (Wuhan) Co., Ltd. obtained the AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) certification from the customs. With this "golden signboard", this emerging enterprise rooted in the Wuhan Free Trade Zone has reduced its export clearance time by one-third, and the delivery cycle for overseas customers has significantly accelerated. AEO certification has straightened the backbone of enterprises in the global supply chain. ”The person in charge of customs affairs of the company, Li Yubao, said.

At present, there are more than 12000 customs declaration units and 61 AEO enterprises under the jurisdiction of Wuhan Customs, including 37 in the Wuhan Free Trade Zone. About half of these enterprises are high-tech enterprises, and about one-third are specialized and innovative "little giant" enterprises.

Entering the Wuchang Customs Business Hall, each window and department has set up a "AEO Enterprise Priority Processing Post". Basically, you can handle it as you go, and you can save a lot of logistics costs in just one year, "said Zheng Pingping, a customs officer at a biotechnology company in Wuhan. The shortened clearance time has greatly reduced the loss rate of cold chain transportation, which is a great benefit for the export of biological agents.

Han Fan, Deputy Director of Wuchang Customs, introduced that according to regulations, advanced certified enterprises in AEO are reviewed every five years. While ensuring that existing enterprises continue to meet certification standards, the customs is continuously expanding the AEO list and actively carrying out certification for newly applied enterprises.

It is reported that Wuchang Customs has held multiple certification enterprise training sessions, covering intermediate goods production enterprises, cross-border e-commerce enterprises, large-scale export production enterprises, and specialized and innovative enterprises. At the same time, the customs actively conducted face-to-face presentations to encourage more enterprises with good credit and standardized management to apply for AEO.