A cross-border e-commerce business worker delivers imported goods in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on November 14, 2024. Photo: VCG

To support the high-quality development of cross-border e-commerce, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) has issued an announcement to optimize regulatory measures for cross-border e-commerce exports, according to the document released by GAC on Wednesday.

The new measures came after China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) last week rolled out nine measures to promote the steady growth of foreign trade, including promoting the development of cross-border e-commerce.

According to the announcement, enterprises involved in cross-border e-commerce export overseas warehouse operations will no longer be required to file with customs for the overseas warehouse business model.

A total of 12 directly subordinate customs authorities, including those in Shanghai and Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, will pilot a "pre-inspection before shipment" model for consolidated export shipments. Cross-border e-commerce export goods are allowed to enter customs-supervised operation sites in the form of bulk cargo, and after undergoing customs inspection, they will be flexibly consolidated into containers for shipment according to actual needs.

Furthermore, 20 directly subordinate customs authorities, including those in Beijing and North China's Tianjin Municipality, will pilot a cross-customs district return supervision model for cross-border e-commerce retail exports.

GAC also highlighted measures to facilitate procedures for declaring export documents.

The relevant policies are set to take effect on December 15, 2024.

On November 21, MOFCOM issued a notice outlining a series of policy measures aimed at promoting stable foreign trade growth. It will continue to promote the construction of overseas smart logistics platforms, and support eligible regions in exploring the establishment of cross-border e-commerce service platforms to provide businesses with services such as overseas legal and tax resource connections.

In the first three quarters of this year, China's cross-border e-commerce foreign trade totaled 1.88 trillion yuan ($259.65 billion), marking an 11.5 percent increase, data from the GAC showed. 

By the end of the first half of the year, the number of cross-border e-commerce enterprises in China exceeded 100,000, with over 1,000 cross-border e-commerce industrial parks and more than 1,800 overseas warehouses, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Global Times