Yichang Customs held a conference on Integration Reform of Customs Clearance (IRCC) for Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) yesterday, and some import & export enterprises participated in it. IRCC will expand from the Yangtze River Delta to YREB from December 1st on, 2014. By then, over 600 enterprises in Yichang will have been able to select ports and ways of clearance according to their actual needs.

　　On September 22nd, 2014, this kind of reform was held earlier in Shanghai, Nanjing, Ningbo, Hangzhou and Hefei. Another 7 custom districts in middle and upper reaches of Yangtze River i.e. Nanchang, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing, Chengdu, Guiyang and Kunming will also join in the program on December 1st. Thus, “Twelve Ports As One” in the Yangtze River Basin will come true.

　　What benefits will the reform bring to enterprises in Yichang? Yu Hongchuan, Director of Yichang Customs Office, told us that the new customs clearance mode will break down the barriers of enterprise classifications and cross-district custom clearance. In addition, enterprises will also have the right to choose their own inspection places.

　　Over 600 enterprises in Yichang have been registered in the Customs Office, among which 55 enterprises are above A-class and 2 are AA-class. In the past, only A-class enterprises could use “Local Declaration & Inspection and Release in Port” mode as well as “Local Declaration & Release” mode. Enterprises above B-class will be able to complete Customs clearance, tax payments and inspection formalities either in enterprise registration place, the Customs Office at the place where the goods enter or depart from the territory, or Customs Office directly under it while importing or exporting goods in these 12 Customs districts.

　　Yu Hongchuan said that enterprises had to complete the inspection procedures in Shanghai Customs while importing precision machinery and instruments with dustless unpacking requirements in the past. Enterprises will be able to accept inspection at the port or in the local customs supervision place according to logistics demands from December 1st on. Goods to be transshipped to local customs supervision places and the means of transport shall conform to the regulations of Customs. In the past, if an enterprise that has been registered in the Yichang Customs needed to get Customs declaration completed, the registered capital with the amount of RMB 500,000 ($80828.98) should be paid to each additional port along the Yangtze River with 3 (or more than 3) Customs declarers. As a result, Customs brokers will be able to engage in customs declaration services in any customs in YREB after the reform.

　　Three of the original twelve document examination centers will be kept. 7700 HS code listed goods will be examined in one of the document examination centers according to different divisions. The results will be applicable in YREB, from which import & export businesses of Yichang enterprises will benefit. (Correspondent: Sun Xiaohua, Sun Furong; Reporter: Zhang Liang, Wang Suzhi)