Bonded zone in Xiong'an gets nod

The entire Xiong'an comprehensive bonded zone in Xiong'an New Area in North China's Hebei province has begun full operations after customs authorities approved its second phase on Tuesday, marking a milestone in the area's push for high-level opening-up.

"As a special customs supervision area offering the highest level of openness and the most favorable policies, the fully operational bonded zone will serve the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy and promote the construction of Xiong'an New Area as a modern city with high standards and quality," said Zhang Jing, deputy director of the administrative committee of the Xiong'an free trade zone.

The newly launched second phase, covering 0.21 square kilometers, will focus on high-end manufacturing, smart logistics, research and development design services, as well as inspection and maintenance. It will be integrated with the first phase to expand industrial development space, Zhang said.

The area will leverage its policy advantages to create a dual-engine opening pattern combining the bonded zone and the free trade zone, cultivate "bonded-plus" business models and build an internationally influential trade hub, according to Zhang, who was quoted by Hebei Daily.

The General Administration of Customs approved the second phase on Tuesday, enabling the 0.63-sq-km zone to transition to full operations.

Local authorities said an inspection team comprising Shijiazhuang Customs and seven provincial departments in Hebei previously verified that infrastructure in the second phase, including surveillance systems and roads, met regulatory requirements for bonded zones.

Established with the State Council's approval in June 2023, the bonded zone consists of two phases. The first phase began operations in January 2024 and has made progress in customs clearance reforms and the development of bonded businesses.

The bonded zone recorded more than 60 billion yuan ($8.8 billion) in total import and export value last year. It has attracted major enterprises. The zone has also piloted clearance models such as direct loading for exports and streamlined inspection for imports, Zhang said.

Yuan Longzhou, deputy general manager of Xiong'an Electronic Port Co, which operates cross-border e-commerce businesses in the zone, said authorities have provided support, including warehouse rent subsidies and assistance with local hiring.

"The zone also facilitated the construction of an airfreight station, greatly streamlining customs clearance for our import and export goods," Yuan said.

Li Yufeng, deputy head of Xiong'an Customs, said the zone has registered 121 enterprises to date, including 47 customs-registered companies and three subsidiaries of central State-owned enterprises. Industrial projects have attracted 520 million yuan in investment.

"Customs will upgrade supervision services, implement one-stop clearance procedures, improve logistics connectivity with surrounding ports and use technologies including the internet of things and blockchain to build smart customs systems with digital supervision models, further optimizing the business environment," Li said.

According to Li, the zone has implemented intelligent automatic inspection and release mechanisms and supports mixed container shipments of domestic and foreign trade goods. Core policies such as "classified supervision" have helped enterprises significantly reduce transportation and labor costs.