I. What is an Inland Port
An inland port, also referred to as an "international dry port," "dry port," or "inland freight village," is typically a logistics hub located in an inland region, away from coastal or border areas. These hubs are linked to coastal and border gateways via rail and road networks, providing comprehensive services akin to traditional ports, including customs clearance, warehousing, loading and unloading, and transportation. Their primary role is to connect with and extend port transportation services.
II. Functions of Inland Ports
Inland ports primarily serve to extend the service capabilities of coastal ports—including customs clearance, tax refunds, and logistics—to inland regions. This provides streamlined international port services, which in turn reduces logistics costs, improves clearance efficiency, and stimulates regional economic growth. Furthermore, by facilitating seamless connectivity between inland and coastal ports through multimodal transport, they foster international trade and industrial concentration.
(1) Port Service Process Front-Loading
Costal port functionalities, including booking, customs clearance, bill of lading issuance, and container return/pickup, are now directly available in inland regions. This eliminates the need for businesses to travel to coastal ports for these procedures.
(2) Multimodal Transport Hub
Operating as a pivotal interchange for rail and road freight, this kind of hub ensures a seamless transition between sea, rail, and road transport. For example, Shandong Port Group, by integrating resources from coastal ports such as Ports of Qingdao and Rizhao, has established a corridor, which is characterized by connections with other countries over land and sea while creating synergy between its eastern and western regions, with the Luxi International Land Port. This development is instrumental in deepening the involvement of inland regions in the joint contribution to the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
(3) Customs Supervision and Clearance
Inland ports equipped with customs-controlled areas (e.g., customs inspection facilities, bonded warehouses, and bonded logistics centers) enable the completion of all import and export customs procedures, including declaration, inspection, and release. This streamlines the process into "one declaration, one inspection, one release."
(4) Warehousing and Value-Added Logistics Services
Comprehensive logistics services are offered, encompassing bonded and general warehousing, along with cargo distribution, delivery, packaging, processing, and labeling. These services are designed to meet the diverse needs of upstream and downstream businesses in the supply chain.
(5) Mitigating Port Congestion and Reducing Logistics Costs
By shifting cargo aggregation and customs clearance operations to inland ports, pressure on coastal ports for storage and processing is effectively alleviated. Meanwhile, large-scale rail transport substantially lowers the overall logistics costs for businesses located inland.
III. Inland Port Facilitation Initiatives
Integrating inland ports with Customs supervision facilities allows for the temporal and spatial relocation of certain cargo oversight procedures traditionally conducted at border checkpoints. This empowers import and export businesses to achieve "one clearance, one inspection, one release" right at their local hubs, effectively boosting the efficiency of customs processing and significantly reducing international trade logistics costs. These measures play an important role in optimizing the business environment and promoting the growth of foreign trade.
First, front-loading and postponement of inspection. Goods utilizing the transit clearance model may undergo inspection at inland ports. Conversely, cargo that has already been inspected at the place of origin and ultimate destination will generally not be re-inspected at the entry or exit port.
Second, efficient and streamlined clearance. Customs-supervised operational facilities serves as hubs for implementing various clearance facilitation measures, including "railway express clearance," "direct loading and direct pickup," "port cargo inspection diversion," and "inspection before loading."
Third, integrated policies for shared gains. The scope of application for these facilities will be expanded to encompass supervision of export dispatches and import arrivals for vehicles and goods engaged in International Road Transport (TIR) and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) international road transport. Moreover, bonded warehouse functions will be integrated, enabling bonded storage and delivery of bulk commodities at inland ports. Comprehensive bonded zone functionalities will also be incorporated, allowing for tax refunds on export goods entering these zone.
Fourth, facilitating port-equivalent cargo operations. Operating in a transit capacity, these facilities function as "front-loading cargo stations," drawing export shipments from surrounding regions to bolster cargo volumes for major hub ports, thus mirroring the operational efficiencies of seaports and airports.
Fifth, facilitating China-Europe Railway Express consolidation. Leveraging these strategic locations, "westbound" outbound transport plans from nearby railway stations are centralized. Cargo is then assembled at inland ports for marshaling and dispatch. Customs authorities conduct oversight of goods and transport vehicles at designated supervision sites, enabling local cities to develop national-level China-Europe Railway Express (CR Express) assembly centers. To date, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has designated 14 inland ports, including Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Yiwu, and Jinan, as CR Express assembly centers. Customs supervision sites are designed to offer streamlined clearance services for these centers.(By Liu Qingqing)
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.
