In the 2025 Report on the Work of the Government, Premier Li Qiang clearly proposed to "expand high-level opening-up", "strengthen policies to stabilize foreign trade", and "promote the construction and cooperation of Smart Customs to enhance customs clearance facilitation". As an important tool for stabilizing foreign trade, Smart Customs is driving the reform of supervision and service models through technological innovation, safeguarding the high-quality development of foreign trade, and injecting new momentum into high-level opening-up.
By identifying the starting point and foundation for implementing the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, GACC has earnestly implemented the important concepts of "Smart Customs, Smart Borders and Smart Connectivity" put forward by President Xi Jinping and launched the construction of Smart Customs in 2023. Over the past year and more, the GACC has prioritized the development of Smart Customs as the main driver for further comprehensive reform and as a catalyst for promoting the steady growth of foreign trade. It has made significant efforts in digital transformation and intelligent upgrades, striving to leverage the "intelligence" of Smart Customs to support the nation's "strength" in building China into a powerful nation.
During the "Two Sessions" in 2025, "AI+" once again became a hot topic. Yang Jinlong, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and Vice President of the University of Science and Technology of China, stated that data is a crucial resource in the era of artificial intelligence. Zhong Zhangdui, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, believes that laying a solid foundation is essential for building a comprehensive ecosystem to promote the development of artificial intelligence, enabling AI to empower various industries.
Enhance smart infrastructure, strengthen the application of smart technologies, and accelerate the deployment of smart projects... Adhering to simultaneous development and application, the Customs has further enhanced its digital governance capabilities and levels. Mature projects and functions have been deployed in more customs clearance sectors and at more business sites, yielding effective results and benefiting businesses and the public.
Currently, the big data pool has integrated over 260 billion records of various data. More than 40 types of intelligent equipment and facilities, such as intelligent handheld units and intelligent inspection platforms, have played an increasingly important role in preventing the invasion of alien species and combating smuggling. Through mobile AI wood identification, hundreds of types of wood and insects can be identified in real time, with intelligent preliminary screening completed within 10 minutes. The intelligent supervision system for iron ore enables online real-time detection and intelligent assessment and disposal, which greatly shortens customs clearance time for goods and significantly reduces costs associated with ships' port stays.
At the press conference held by the State Council Information Office on January 13, 2025, a senior official from the relevant departments of the GACC stated, "We empowered finance through digital intelligence and supported the development of foreign trade. According to preliminary statistics, since 2023, more than 220,000 foreign trade enterprises have been provided with facilitated international settlement, financing, and other services."
AI image review enables clearance within seconds, blockchain data chains eliminate cross-border trust barriers, and drone inspections strengthen the national border security network... The construction of 136 pilot scenario projects has been comprehensively rolled out, and 68 scenario categories are being replicated and promoted step by step. Empowered by technology, customs supervision has shifted from "people tracking goods" to "digital and intelligent control," achieving simultaneous improvements in customs clearance efficiency and safety.
Tianjin Customs has developed an intelligent cargo management scenario chain. Since its implementation in August 2024, the regularized intelligent document examination at Tianjin Xingang Customs, affiliated with Tianjin Customs, has processed over 500 cases per week. Forty-two customs declaration enterprises have participated in testing, representing approximately 20% of the customs' manual import document examinations. Additionally, the average manual examination time has been reduced by 67% compared to before the system's implementation.
Using the "wood identification" system, Nanjing Customs has revamped the traditional sampling process of "cutting, loading, and delivering" into a new process of "grinding, photographing, and transmitting," reducing the operation time to under 15 minutes.
Gongbei Customs has established an integrated risk tagging system, consolidating 16.4 billion data entries and creating 4.08 million records and 43,000 risk tags. This system enables the visualization of risk tags and enhances the sensitivity of early warning information, aiding precise on-site inspections.
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Smart Customs exemplify China's institutional openness and serve as an innovative benchmark for global trade governance. On December 18, 2024, the Smart Customs Community Portal (http://scp.wcoomd.org), a global "Smart Customs" online collaboration platform jointly developed by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO), was launched. This platform is one of the core components of the "Smart Customs" cooperation project between the General Administration of Customs and the World Customs Organization. It is the first dedicated website themed around Smart Customs, focusing on technological and innovative exchanges and collaborations, built upon the official website of the World Customs Organization. It provides member customs with services such as experience sharing, forum discussions, and technical consultations to advance the development of Smart Customs.
By 2025, the construction of Smart Customs has progressed from full-scale implementation to the final assembly and integration phase. At the National Customs Work Conference, it was emphasized that "we must operate with strategic plans, overcome challenges, and accelerate the implementation and effectiveness of the planning system." China Customs will promote the optimization and transformation of customs supervision processes through digital and intelligent means, deepen the practical application of artificial intelligence and other technologies, and establish a new supervision model characterized by "seamless customs clearance, intelligent supervision, minimal disturbances, and ubiquitous presence." China Customs will strive to expedite the modernization process and better fulfill its mission of securing national borders and promoting development.
Viewpoints
Currently, the global trade landscape is undergoing profound adjustments, geopolitical risks are intensifying, and industrial and supply chains are under pressure to be restructured. In this context, China's foreign trade should not only cope with short-term fluctuations but also strategize for long-term development. Smart Customs is not only an upgrade of technical tools but also a reengineering of regulatory logic. Through technological innovation and system optimization, the development of Smart Customs has become a key breakthrough in addressing foreign trade challenges, providing robust support for foreign trade enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Enhancing convenience through intelligence and expanding openness through cooperation, China Customs is safeguarding global trade with the more efficient customs facilitation initiatives. In the future, we look forward to Smart Customs continuing to empower global trade with "Chinese Wisdom" and writing a new chapter in high-level openness.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.