Ningbo Customs: Ensuring the Security and Stability of Strategic Mineral Resource Supply Chain

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to accelerate the filling of gaps in the field of security development and enhance the ability to guarantee the supply of strategic resources. Ningbo Customs actively responded and deepened the "Smart Customs Strong Country" action, relying on Ningbo Zhoushan Port as a national strategic mineral resource import hub, fully ensuring the security and stability of the strategic mineral resource supply chain, and providing solid support for the implementation of the strategy of building a strong manufacturing country.
From slow to fast, smooth the main artery of importing primary minerals. Ningbo Customs has innovatively implemented intelligent supervision and timely supervision in the import of primary minerals, achieving synchronous automation of ship unloading, conveyor belt transportation, sampling and preparation, radioactive monitoring, and solid waste investigation.
The optimization of the customs supervision mode has eliminated the previous intermediate storage and repeated loading and unloading links, compressed the overall clearance cycle by more than 7 days, significantly reduced the logistics costs of enterprises, and alleviated the pressure of port detention, "said Wen Jianping, the person in charge of Zhongzhai Port in Ningbo Zhoushan Port. It is estimated that iron ore alone can increase the annual operational volume of Ningbo Zhoushan Port by about 6 million tons, saving an average of about 15 hours of customs clearance time per batch of goods.
From difficulty to ease, create a new paradigm for regulating recycled metals. Faced with metal pressure packs weighing hundreds of kilograms, traditional dismantling methods are inefficient and high-risk. Ningbo Customs, in collaboration with Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group, has launched a cross-border breakthrough and is the first large-scale intelligent equipment dedicated to the dismantling of recycled metal press packs in China. Through remote control operation, the hydraulic shear of this equipment can intelligently adjust the angle and force according to the shape and size of the press pack, achieving precise, non-destructive, and safe dismantling. The dismantling time for a single pack has been greatly reduced from 2 days to 15 minutes.
In addition, Ningbo Customs has also started from strengthening laboratory support capabilities, creating department level training points for imported recycled raw materials, and other aspects to provide strong support for improving the quality and efficiency of imported recycled metal supervision. At present, the relevant laboratories of Ningbo Customs have passed multiple qualification certifications such as CNAS and CMA, and have been approved as the only first-class risk monitoring point for imported recycled metals in China.  
From scratch, break through the bottleneck of key material circulation. Recycled black powder for lithium-ion batteries is rich in strategic mineral resources such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt, with enormous value. Due to policy gaps, it was once unable to be imported for a long time. Ningbo Customs actively participates in the formulation of relevant national policies, organizes opinion evaluations under the guidance of the Commodity Inspection Department of the General Administration of Customs, proposes performance indicators and customs supervision measures to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and takes the lead in formulating supporting measures to promote the import of recycled black powder.  
In order to synchronously carry out regulatory work, Ningbo Customs has taken the lead in obtaining the qualification for laboratory testing of recycled black powder, and has taken the lead in formulating the "Inspection Regulations for Recycled Black Powder Raw Materials for Imported Lithium ion Batteries" to provide standardized operational guidance for customs law enforcement. On August 1, 2025, the first imported recycled black powder in China was successfully cleared through customs in Ningbo.  
Looking towards the future, Ningbo Customs will always have a broad vision of the country and strive to create an efficient, coordinated, safe and controllable "Ningbo model", injecting more customs energy into the stable and smooth supply chain of strategic mineral resources industry chain, and contributing greater strength to the construction of a strong manufacturing country.