Recently, the SDPFTZ Qingdao Area successfully completed its first centralized application and joint review of 2025 for the customs clearance facilitation reform on importing MFH goods, marking the official transition of the innovative "white list" system for imported food and medicinal materials into a normalized and efficient operation phase.
Expansion of Pilot Enterprises and Products to Share FTZ Reform Benefits. In this joint review, nine enterprises successfully obtained pilot qualifications, while one existing pilot enterprise expanded its pilot varieties and added downstream affiliated enterprises. Over 40 additional enterprises are actively preparing their applications. To date, the number of pilot enterprises in the Area has reached 11, covering eight pilot varieties of imported MFH goods such as cassia seeds, licorice, nutmeg, and turmeric, from 18 countries and regions, including Pakistan, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Nigeria. This expansion of pilot enterprises and varieties not only highlights the strong attraction of SDPFTZ Qingdao Area in the import of MFH goods but also demonstrates the robust support and impetus provided by its customs clearance facilitation reform policies on importing MFH goods.
Precise Release of Reform Dividends Doubles Customs Clearance Efficiency. On July 8, the first batch of pilot enterprises this year submitted customs clearance applications for 100 tons of cassia seeds. Upholding a service-oriented approach focused on efficiency and convenience, relevant departments in the Area promptly reviewed their clearance application materials and, on the same day, issued the Certificate of Intended Use for Imported MFH Goods, enabling smooth customs clearance. This not only showcases the Area's active implementation and efficient execution of policies but also brings tangible convenience to enterprises. The head of the pilot enterprise praised the efficient reform policies: "Thanks to the optimization of approval processes, obtaining the certificate is now faster and more convenient, saving us a lot of application time, significantly reducing operating costs, and enhancing our market competitiveness." Following the implementation of these policies, it is expected that the enterprise will save over RMB 600,000 in purchasing costs annually, creating favorable conditions for expanding import scales in the future.
Continuously Deepening Institutional Innovation to Build a Full-Chain Regulatory Service System. SDPFTZ Qingdao Area firmly adheres to the principle of "maintaining the bottom line of safety while releasing reform dividends". It has innovatively developed a collaborative regulatory model that integrates a "commitment system + full-chain traceability." By establishing a comprehensive and closed-loop regulatory framework that encompasses pre-commitment, in-process verification, and post-event tracing, the Area enhances the accountability of pilot enterprises while fostering coordinated collaboration among multiple departments, including customs and market supervision. This model implements comprehensive risk management throughout the import, circulation, and production phases of imported MFH goods, forming a dual-layered risk prevention system that combines credit constraints with regulatory synergy, ensuring that reforms are both convenient and secure.
Paperless Reform Is Fully Implemented and E-Certificates Accelerate Customs Clearance. The Area actively responds to national paperless and electronic approval reforms, collaborating with Qingdao Customs to eliminate paper versions of the Certificate of Intended Use for Imported MFH Goods. It has fully adopted electronic certificate mutual recognition, simplifying previously required multi-department reviews and paper processes into a unified online issuance, eliminating the need for physical document collection. This not only precisely aligns with national policies for green approvals and efficient services but also sets a standardized benchmark for nationwide paperless customs clearance of MFH goods.
In the future, SDPFTZ Qingdao Area will continue to optimize the "white list" system of MFH goods, continuously improve relevant policies and service systems, improve supervision efficiency by exploring and introducing digital and intelligent means such as "MFH goods traceability", further create an innovative benchmark for opening-up in the field of medicine and food homology, and contribute more "free trade experience" to promote high-quality development of the Area and facilitate cross-border trade.
