"Made in Weifang" Taps into the Belt and Road Initiative

Recently, at INTCO Medical in Qingzhou City, a batch of PVC gloves valued at $90,000 completed quality inspection, packing, and other processes. Under the supervision of Weifang Customs, the shipment was sent to Saudi Arabia, a country participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI countries).

According to Weifang Customs, BRI countries are increasingly becoming the main drivers of import and export. In the first seven months of this year, Weifang's trade with these countries reached 114.99 billion yuan, up 16.7%, accounting for 57% of the city's total import and export value during the same period and contributing 8.7 percentage points to overall trade growth.

"After the export of this batch of PVC gloves, they will be used in medical examinations, industrial production, food processing, and other fields. Thanks to our high product quality, more customers are choosing us. In recent years, we have added 11 new clients from BRI countries." Zhang Aifang, Manager of International Logistics at INTCO Medical, said, "Recent reforms in processing trade regulations have been increasingly favorable to businesses. With guidance from Weifang Customs, we've benefited from extended deadlines for centralized declarations of deep processing transfers and simplified procedures for domestic sales. These measures have significantly boosted our production efficiency and order fulfillment capabilities."

Benefiting from the reform of the processing trade regulatory policy, our city's enterprises are continuously expanding their business in the BRI countries. In Shouguang City, a batch of coated paper produced by Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Ltd. was successfully exported to markets of the BRI countries under the supervision of Weifang Customs. Chenming Paper, a large enterprise group focused on pulping and papermaking, exports its products to more than 50 countries and regions.

"Our group has three companies, and in the past, each one had its own processing trade account book. This required us to reserve raw material quotas for each company, creating significant capital pressure Thanks to the reforms in processing trade regulations, our entire group now operates with just one account book, needing only a single raw material quota. This has greatly reduced our operating costs. The competitiveness of our products has been further enhanced in the markets of BRI countries," said Qiu Lanju, Purchasing Manager at Shandong Chenming Paper Group Co., Ltd.

The Certificate of Origin, known as the "paper gold" of the foreign trade industry, is an important document for enterprises to timely enjoy the tax policy benefits of free trade agreements. Recently, Weifang Customs, through the "Single Window" platform, issued Shandong Ensign Industry Co., Ltd. the first China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement Certificate of Origin in the Jinan Customs District. With this certificate, the tariff rate on the company's citric acid products was reduced from 5% to 4% upon entry into Serbia.

"Our company has always been dedicated to expanding into overseas markets. With the support of the Belt and Road Initiative, our international business continues to grow. Serbia is a new market for us. Now, we are benefiting from the implementation of the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement. Citric acid, one of our major export products, is on the tax reduction list, which not only boosts the international competitiveness of our products but also significantly supports our efforts to stabilize our customer base in Serbia," said Li Jian, General Manager of Shandong Ensign Industry Co., Ltd.

To help Weifang enterprises better leverage tariff reduction policies and improve their ability to benefit from these measures, Weifang Customs has carefully reviewed tax incentives, focusing on key businesses and projects. They have facilitated the implementation of these incentives and assisted eight companies in obtaining tariff exemptions. This has expanded the scale of imports and exports and contributed to the high-quality development of Weifang's foreign trade.

In addition, "made-in-Weifang" products used in engineering construction are also accelerating their "overseas journey". Recently, a batch of loaders produced by Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Co., Ltd. was successfully shipped to Tanzania for use in engineering construction projects in BRI countries.

To ensure the safe and efficient customs clearance of these engineering equipment, Weifang Customs guided the company to use the "Direct Loading upon Arrival" model for export goods, significantly shortening the loading time. "During the export process of this batch of loaders, we used the 'Direct Loading upon Arrival' model, which allowed the goods to be loaded onto the ship immediately upon arrival at the port. This not only saved us costs but also greatly improved customs clearance efficiency. Our customers receive their products more quickly and are more eager to cooperate with us," said Yang Kun, Head of Import and Export Customs Affairs at Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Co., Ltd. According to statistics, the company has exported more than 2,000 units of bulldozers, road graders, loaders, and other mechanical equipment to BRI countries, with a total value exceeding 1 billion yuan.

"Weifang Customs continues to enhance its support for enterprises by implementing various reform policies designed to benefit businesses. By constantly optimizing the business environment, we help local enterprises improve their international competitiveness, integrate more deeply into the Belt and Road Initiative, and expand into international markets. This enables 'Made in Weifang' to tap into opportunities in the BRI markets," said Wang Ying, Deputy Director of Weifang Customs.