China’s First Batch of Imported Washed Feather and Down, Pilot Goods for Customs Clearance Supervision Reform, Successfully Cleared Customs in Guangxi

GUIGANG, China, Apr. 11, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

“The goods were shipped from overseas to Guigang and cleared customs in just eight days. This new model is 17 days faster than the traditional customs clearance via Hong Kong, significantly reducing time and economic costs!” said Yang Chaodong, General Manager of Jialu Feather Products Co., Ltd. in Guigang. On March 28, a shipment of approximately 18.5 tons of washed white duck feathers imported by the company through Qinzhou Port passed customs inspection smoothly after joint supervision by Qinzhou Port Customs and Guigang Customs, marking the successful implementation of the General Administration of Customs’ pilot reform of imported washed feather and down customs clearance supervision in Guigang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Tao Jianquan, Secretary of the Gangnan District Committee of Guigang City, introduced that the down industry is a traditional advantageous industry in the Gangnan District of Guigang. There are currently 170 feather and down processing enterprises, processing approximately 90,000 tons of feathers and down per year, accounting for about 28% of China’s total feather and down processing volume and 18% of the world’s total.

In recent years, Guigang has seized the opportunities of the construction of the Western Land-Sea Corridor, implemented a three-year action plan for industrial transformation and upgrading, in a bid to optimize the business environment and promote the upgrading of the down industry. As a result, a complete industry chain from primary feather sorting and processing to washed feather and down processing and down product processing has taken shape. In 2023, the total output value of the down industry in the Gangnan District of Guigang reached 4.7 billion yuan, according to the Publicity Department of Gangnan District. However, about 40% of the raw materials need to be imported from abroad, with an annual import demand of 30,000 to 50,000 tons.

In order to support the upgrading and development of the down industry in Guangxi, the General Administration of Customs recently issued a pilot reform plan for imported washed feather and down customs clearance supervision, aiming to leverage the supervision resource advantages of Qinzhou Port, Guigang Port, and local customs to optimize the customs clearance supervision operation mode for imported washed feather and down. To that end, a spate of measures, such as coordinated inspections between the entry port and the local port, risk prevention and control through customs-local coordinated linkage, technology-enabled intelligent supervision in the transfer process, and strengthening the primary responsibility of pilot enterprises, were implemented.

Since the start of the pilot work, Nanning Customs has set up a special working group to organize participating subordinate customs to carry out field surveys, refine supervision operation guidelines, and improve emergency response plans. Moreover, it teamed up with the governmental departments to develop epidemic prevention and control plans, guide the upgrade of smart quarantine facilities at relevant ports, and strengthen self-discipline guidance and supervision of pilot enterprises. Additionally, a one-on-one pilot work communication mechanism between customs and enterprises has been established to promptly resolve issues related to the pilot enterprises, so as to ensure the smooth implementation of the pilot reform.

The planned grade of the Pingtang River Estuary-Luwu Town Canal (Pinglu Canal) under construction in Guangxi is Class I for inland waterways, allowing for the navigation of 5,000-ton vessels. Once the canal is opened, imported washed feather and down in Guigang can directly transfer from Qinzhou Port to the canal waterway, reaching Guigang Port in half a day. The opening of the canal will contribute to the aggregation of the down industry in Guigang and driving high-quality development. Currently, the down industry in Guigang has garnered the attention of several well-known down product companies, further highlighting the agglomeration effect of the industrial cluster.