GF (2015) No. 16
To the People's Governments of Various Provinces, Autonomous Regions and Municipalities, the Ministries and Commissions and the Departments Directly under the State Council:
Port is the portal of opening to the outside of the country, the bridge of foreign contact and economic and trade cooperation and the important barrier of national security. During more than 30 years of reform and opening up, the rapid development of the port has exerted extensive and profound influence on reform and opening up and modernization construction in China. At present, our country reform has entered into the hard time and deep water area, economic development into the new ordinary state, opening to the outside world into a new stage, all of this puts forward new and higher requirements to the port work. In order to adapt to the new situation and the new requirements, promote the steady growth and the transformation and upgrading of the foreign trade, promote the steady and sound economic development, hereby we put forward the following proposals for improving the port work to support the development of foreign trade in accordance with the decision of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council:
Ⅰ. Optimize port services and promote the steady growth of foreign trade
(1) Strengthen streamline administration and institute decentralization. Cancel or transfer the power to a lower level for a batch of government review and approval matters which refer to the port customs clearance and import and export links on the basis of existing. Cancel all non-administrative licensing examination and approval. Establish and standardize the management system of administration examination and approval for relevant port departments. Strictly control new items of administration examination and approval. It’s not allowed to set the examination and approval illegally or in a disguised form. Make examination standards clear and definite. Promise handling time limit. It is not allowed to illegally increase the threshold of examination and approval or extend its time limit. Strengthen and perfect the mating management system of administrative examination and approval system reform. Optimize the internal approval procedures and reduce the audit procedures. Combine the management with non-management and strengthen the process supervision and the after-event supervision on the basis of improving service and being efficient and convenient. Research and implement the joint examination and approval and the parallel examination and approval. Formulate and publish the power list and the responsibility list as soon as possible. Standardize and give play to the role of port industry associations. Promote the healthy development of the port customs clearance intermediary service market.
(2) Improve the port customs clearance service. Strengthen the systematization and the promptness of the port law enforcement openness. Further standardize and publish customs clearance time limit. Improve the innovation of port supervision methods. Push forward or move backward the unnecessary law enforcement on port customs clearance spot by possession management, advance service, follow-up examination or other methods to reduce the law enforcement on the port customs clearance spot to the minimum. Implement classified management of enterprises. Broaden the scope of centralized declaration and the declaration in advance. Support enterprises to expand exports and increase imports. Perfect inspection methods. Enhance pertinence and effectiveness of inspection. Increase the non-intrusive, non-interference inspection proportion. For the enterprises which have no problems and pass the inspection, exempt the fees of hoisting, shifting, warehousing and other fees. Such fees will be borne by the central finance. At the same time, strengthen the intensity of punishment on those enterprises that have problems. Provide convenient customs clearance to the imported goods of "going out" enterprises which are produced in foreign countries and meet the requirements of our country.
(3) Clear and standardize charge. Resolutely ban the administrative fees which are set up in violation of the rules in import and export procedures, further standardize management service fees in import and export procedures, so as to lighten the burden of foreign trade enterprises. Carry out directory listing management for administrative fees which are set up in accordance with the law in import and export procedures, government-managed funds and management service fees which implement government pricing or guide price. All of those which are not included in the list shall be investigated and treated as irregular charge. Merge the charges which have the same collection objects, the similar calculation and collection way and the similar range of application and properly decrease the charge standard. Classify various e-commerce platforms. Those which are invested by the government shall be opened to the public for free. For those which belong to value-added services of marketization, loosen qualification requirements and encourage diversified investment. Clean up and rectify the charges in the customs declaration, customs inspection, freight forwarders, ship agency and port service. Resolutely ban the "corruptive intermediary" which provides compulsory services, has no qualifications and charges without providing services relying on administrative organs and administrative power. Publish items, standards and basis of charges in the inbound and outbound process in coordination with bordering countries.
(4) Promote paperless customs clearance. Optimize transmission mode of customs declaration attached documents to improve the declaration efficiency and save the cost of customs declaration. Accelerate the networking process of the taxes and dues electronic data and cancel paper tax receipt to realize paperless tax receipt. Further improve and optimize online verification. Phase out the paper documents of manual verifying. Accelerate the process of paperless certification supervising. Cancel the paper goods declaration for exportation (for export rebates). Tax authorities can handle the procedures of export rebates for enterprises by customs electronic data to improve the efficiency of the export rebates.
Ⅱ. Strengthen the port construction and promote the transformation and upgrading of foreign trade
(5) Strengthen the port infrastructure construction. Integrate the port supervising facility resources and inspection sites. Formulate the port inspection facilities construction standards as soon as possible. Research and standardize fund management of construction, renovation, operating maintenance and so on for port inspection facilities. Further clear capital sources, and increase financial investment. Standardize the application channel of the central infrastructure investment subsidy for construction and renovation of the port inspection facilities. Strengthen the reform of border ports and the construction of inspection facilities and improve the border ports prevailing conditions, taking advantage of a variety of capital channels. Use foreign aid funds as a whole. Arrange the aids as a matter of priority for the construction of bordering country port infrastructure and inspection facilities, which concerns large international transport channels. Ensure that we have the sufficient port capacity as bordering countries and our cross-border infrastructure connects with theirs.
(6) Actively promote the construction of international trade "single window". Relying on the electronic port public platform, promote the construction of international trade "single window", accelerate the co-construction, co-management and sharing mechanism of electronic port departments. Push forward the shared data standardization of "single window". Improve and expand the application function of the "single window". Further optimize the port supervision law enforcement process and the customs clearance process. Aiming at finishing the construction of the "single window" at the coastal port by the end of 2015 and at all ports of our country by 2007, speed up the promotion of construction experience of the "single window" in Shanghai free trade experimental site. The "single window" that adapts to the regional development strategy can be established in the areas which have mature conditions. At the same time, strengthen risk analysis and comprehensive analysis and promote the construction of monitoring command and the whole course visual logistics monitoring system. Promote the electronic exit and entry certificates. Promote passenger self-service clearance system and vehicle "one-stop" electronic inspection system.
(7) Support the development of the new trade types and platforms. Support the construction of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive experimental zone. Set up and improve the customs clearance management system and the quality and safety supervision system of the cross-border e-commerce. Provide more comfortable and more convenient development environment for masses entrepreneurship and people innovation. Gradually expand the scope of the comprehensive experimental units after gaining experience. Speed up the formulation of the guidance for promoting cross-border e-commerce healthy and rapid development. Support enterprises to use cross-border e-commerce to develop the international market, carry out and expand the cross-border e-commerce import business in accordance with the principle of fair competition. Further improve the relevant policies. Innovate supervision method. Expand the scope of the market purchase trade experimental units. Promote the fast development of the foreign trade comprehensive service enterprises. Support the exports expansion.
(8) Promote the system innovation of customs special supervision area. Strengthen the interactive development of the port and customs special supervision area. Speed up the promotion of mature innovation system and measures of free trade experimental sites and customs special supervision experimental sites. Specify and perfect the tax policies in customs special supervision areas to create the policy environment of fair competition for the enterprises in the areas to participate in the domestic market. Sum up the experience of Suzhou, Chongqing trade diversification experimental sites. Timely expand experimental sites. In the customs special supervision area of Shanghai free trade experimental site, actively promote the selective customs collection policy prior to carry and try and research the experimental site which promotes cargo status classified supervision. Give full play to the leading role of customs special supervision areas. Promote regional industrial upgrading. Guide the processing trade to transfer to the central and western regions. Encourage processing trade enterprises to concentrate in customs special supervision areas. Promote the orderly development of market, settlement, logistics, testing, maintenance, research and other producer services which are associated with the processing trade.
(9) Support local area to develop the economy relying on port. Take the advantage of port to establish customs special supervision areas, border economic cooperation zones, cross-border economic cooperation zones and modern logistics parks, etc. Establish an economic growth pole that integrates comprehensive process, commerce circulation, modern logistics, cultural tourism, etc. Carry forward the logistics cooperation and interactive development between inland and coastal port. Develop international logistics and establish a modern logistics system that integrates warehousing, transportation and process. Add the import port for finished automobile and medicine coordinating with national industrial policy. Support the construction of inspection and quarantine designated port at the port with mature conditions. Perfect the duty-free shop policy and optimize the spatial arrangement of the duty-free shop to promote the healthy development of duty-free business. Standardize the fair among the inhabitants of border areas. Support the development of characteristic advantaged industries in border areas. Promote the mutual promotion and interaction between the border trade and the industries. Continue to give full play to border trade resources energy channels. Support the border trade enterprises to participate in the business of large amount resource or energy products.
Ⅲ. Deepen port cooperation and improve the development environment of foreign trade
(10) Innovate customs clearance collaboration mechanism and mode. Promote the integration of national customs clearance reform. Realize the integration of customs declaration, taxation, inspection, customs clearance. Promote the integration of inspection and quarantine. Realize all declaration, all inspection and all customs clearance. Speed up the construction of the whole port customs clearance which can cross different administrative regions and departments, based on carrying out and trying the customs clearance in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, the Yangtze River Economic Zone and Guangdong. Establish and improve the convenient clearance cooperation mechanism such as China-Europe block train. Innovate multimodal transport supervision system. Promote port customs affairs cooperation of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. Strengthen the communication and coordination of major cross-border infrastructure construction projects. Perfect the connection and cooperation mechanism of Guangdong-Hong Kong ports and Guangdong-Macau port. Strengthen economic and trade exchanges and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau personnel contact. Innovate in the inspection mechanism and customs clearance mode of Zhuhai-Macau port.
(11) Strengthen port law enforcement and cooperation. Speed up the information exchange, supervision mutual recognition, mutual law enforcement. Expand the scope of the joint law enforcement and joint inspection. Further optimize the supervision law enforcement process and gradually change the "law enforcement in series "into "law enforcement in parallel". On the basis of full implementation of the customs inspection cooperation "three-once" (once declaration, once inspection, once customs clearance), gradually change into the "single window" and realize information sharing among port related departments. Explore the new model of custom clearance such as "joint inspection, once clearance" for inbound and outbound transport means and cargos to reduce repeat inspection.
(12) Promote the port connectivity with neighboring countries. Actively promote bilateral and multilateral international cooperation and exchange. Accelerate the negotiation process such as joining the convenient international transport convention. Build the multinational cross-regional port customs clearance and convenient transportation cooperation mechanism for the large international transport channel. Integrate the border port cooperation affairs into the memorandum of cooperation and agreements for co-construction of ‘One Belt and One Road’ signed with neighboring countries. Cooperate with neighboring countries on key ports. Establish and perfect the port cooperation mechanism between our country and neighboring countries. Enhance communication and collaboration on peer port construction, working system, safety protection, convenient customs clearance and infrastructure construction, etc.. Support the border port local governments and port inspection institutions to cooperate and communicate with the corresponding governments and institutions of neighboring countries, so as to solve the problems existing in the customs clearance. Carry out the international cooperation on inspection supervision model innovation at the border port with better conditions. Research and implement "one site two inspection", "green channel", "joint supervision "and other measures to improve the customs clearance capacity and efficiency of the land border ports.
(13) Ensure the safety of the port. Establish and improve the emergency response mechanism and disposal plans. Clear division of tasks and carry out the safety prevention and control measures. Increase the investment in the port inspection, the security and protection equipments. Improve the scientific and technological level of the inspection and supervision and the prevention and control ability of disease and epidemic situation. Port inspection departments shall strengthen joint prevention and joint control, timely exchange relevant information and promote the cooperation on preventing and controlling violence and terror, responding to emergencies, cracking down on smuggling, tax rebates fraud, investigating the behavior of escaping from inspection and quarantine , anti smuggling and stopping the import and export of the unsafe products and fake and inferior commodities. Improve the port overall security controls level and ensure the safe, high efficient and smooth operation of the port.
Ⅳ. Further open the port and enhance the level of opening to the outside world.
(14) Expand inland port opening to the outside world. Improve the inland port layout of “One Belt and One Road”. Support the inspection sites that are legally set up at the main stations of international good transportation railway and important inland ports to directly go through the formalities of export and import. Support inland aviation port to open more international cargo air routes and flights. Expand the scope of experimental ports for passengers connecting, port visa and transit without visa policy. Develop the multimodal transport of sea-river, railway-water and road-shipping. Allow to change the transport means and change the packing of the cargos. Realize once declaration for multimodal transport and once inspection in the transport place (exit place). Directly release the goods whose sealing state doesn’t change. Speed up the formation of the foreign trade corridor which traverses the east, the center and the west and connects the south and the north.
(15) Speed up the opening of the border port. Make the border key development experimental zone, border economic cooperation zones, cross-border economic cooperation zone to be the important platform of cooperation between our country and neighboring countries. Allow key border ports, border cities and economic cooperation zones to adopt particular ways and policies in personnel contact, processing, logistics and tourism, etc.. Orderly promote peer establishment and opening wider to the outside of the border ports. Accelerate the establishment of the key open doors and cross-border channels of Silk Road economic belt. Support the improvement of border ports. Carry forward the urbanization construction of border ports. Promote the economic coordinated and sustainable development of the towns, the industries and the ports. Research and formulate the management methods of the channels for people living on the frontiers. Standardize the channels management in Yunnan and Guangxi and other provinces. Support the supervision model innovation of "one port, multi-channel".
(16) Enhance the opening up level of coastal ports. Put forward the opening up of the ports which are involved in the construction of the 21st-century Marine Silk Road. Support the opening up and construction of the ports and airports in free trade experimental zones of Shanghai, Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian, etc.. Overall plan, orderly develop and take advantage of the opening up coastal ports and piers and shoreline resources. Achieve the reasonable layout, dislocation development and complementary advantages of the ports in the same economic area. Establish the hub type water transportation, aviation and regional port cluster of stronger international competitiveness in coastal region according to the economy coordination development requirements of the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, the Circum-Bohai-Sea and the Beibu Gulf.
Ⅴ. Strengthen port foundation and improve the service ability for social and economic development.
(17) Innovate port opening up management mechanism. Strengthen port volume statistics and the monitoring analysis of the customs clearance efficiency and developing situation. Scientifically predict the mid-long-term passenger and cargo volume. Provide data for the port opening up layout, optimization and integration, investment and construction, etc.. Conduct dynamic management on the port. Formulate management methods of port access and exit. Integrate or close the ports without customs clearance business or with too little volume of business for a long time or the ports which haven’t opened for a long time after being approved by the state. Put forward port classification management. Research and implement three-grade management mode, which is international hub port, national important port and regional ordinary port, according to the function and passenger and freight volume of the ports. Implement differential measures on expending opening up, construction investment, function expansion, customs clearance and human resource configuration, etc.. Optimize, integrate and standardize the inspection sites such as inland dry ports, supervision sites and vehicle inspection fields.
(18) Optimize the port opening up working process. Deeply research the port function orientation under the new situation. Scientifically appraise the requirements of economic and social development to the port working. Accurately assess the national port layout condition. Study and formulate the national "13th Five Year Plan" port development plan. The people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government apply for the port opening up according to the national port development plan and the relevant requirements of port opening up. The port inspection institutions setting and staffing, national infrastructure investment subsidies and military installations protective measures, etc. shall be studied and decided by the state port administrative department consulting with the state commission office for public sector reform, the relevant departments of the State Council and the Headquarters of the General Staff. Improve consultation mechanism of port opening up examination and approval. Clear the handle time limit of each process. Strengthen information communication and improve the examination and approval efficiency of port opening up. Improve the standards, conditions and working regulation of port opening acceptance. Perfect the management measures of temporary open ports. Extend temporary open time limit according to the demands.
(19) Optimize the port inspection human resource configuration. In accordance with the principle of "total amount control, dynamic adjustment", improve the allocating mechanism of inspection institutions setting and staffing. Promote the potential adjustment and optimal configuration of intra-system authorized size. Further optimize the inspection process and integrate internal institutions. Set up reasonable jobs. Carry out the flat management of port inspection institutions. Allocate more personnel to law enforcement frontline. Further increase the efficiency of the inspection work by deepening reform, streamline administration and delegate power, improving management and innovating supervision. Carry out in a deep-going way the window construction and moral culture construction. Establish a good image and strengthen the inner ability. Strengthen team construction and create the civilized, just and honest high-quality port inspection team.
(20) Improve the rule of law system construction of the customs clearance. Issue the port working regulations timely. Promote the timely improvement and revision of the laws and regulations related to port law enforcement. Establish and improve the rules and regulations related to port open, construction, operation and so on. Speed up the construction of enterprise credit system. Establish and improve the enterprise credit assessment archives. Formulate and improve the specifications and standards of inspection institutions law enforcement and service. Create a stable, transparent and predictable law enforcement services and business environment.
Ⅵ. Strengthen organizational leadership for port work.
(21) Strengthen organizational leadership and coordination work. Give full play to the role of the State Council port working inter-ministerial joint conference system. Coordinately solve the major problems in nationwide port reform and development. Identify and promote the implementation of major port reform plans and policy measures. Promote the collaboration of various departments for port customs clearance. The State Council port working inter-ministerial joint conference takes charge of guiding the national and the local electronic port construction and comprehensive coordination duties. The state port administrative department shall strengthen policy research and coordination, formulate the joint conference work rules jointly with relevant departments, improve working mechanism and strengthen the implementation and supervision.
(22) Strengthen local government responsibility. The people's governments of various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities shall formulate the supporting measures for implementing the national port development planning. Further improve the port working system and overall plan port development combining with local reality. Local people's governments at or above the county level shall strengthen leadership for local port work, establish and improve the port work comprehensive coordination mechanism, improve the port infrastructure, strengthen the port comprehensive governance, push forward the cross-regional port cooperation and large customs clearance construction, ensure port service and security and the safe and efficient operation of the port.
State Council
April 1, 2015
