Business news

MINSK, 1 October (BelTA) – A customs office has been opened in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone, BelTA has learned.

The opening ceremony took place on 1 October. During the ceremony Head of the Belarus President Property Management Directorate Viktor Sheiman said: “Belarus is a time-tested, stable, and reliable European partner for China. This is why the development of transport corridors, the improvement of the logistics infrastructure in our territory with assistance of Chinese companies is a priority task. Today’s event confirms Belarus’ readiness to fill the Belt and Road initiative with concrete projects – transport, logistics, and infrastructure ones. I am convinced that today we’ve laid the foundation of a powerful world-level logistics node. This customs office is a high-tech facility, which meets all the modern international requirements. All the conditions for clearing freight in comfort have been enabled here. Initially as many as 125 semi-trailer trucks will be able to enter the customs control area simultaneously. We intend to be able to clear at least 20,000 vehicles per annum. Work has already begun on promising projects to expand the warehouse infrastructure and the park’s logistics zone, to build a robotized terminal.”

According to Yuri Senko, Chairman of the State Customs Committee, the Belarusian customs service is intent on making its customs clearance stations larger. “Individual large customs offices should be able to offer all the services, all the opportunities the private sector needs: customs services, banking services, veterinary and phytosanitary services, logistics, and packaging. We follow the one-stop shop principle. We already have about 40 large customs offices like this one. As far as the customs office in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone is concerned, we expect it to be able to process freight arriving by road and by air since the Minsk National Airport is nearby. Freight may be able to arrive by rail in the future, too,” he remarked.

The opening of the customs office coincided with the National Day of the People's Republic of China. “The opening of the customs office is an important achievement of Belarus-China bilateral business cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. I am convinced that our cooperation will make an important contribution to the construction of the large logistics corridor of the Silk Road Economic Belt,” added Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Cui Qiming.

“The customs office will underscore the status and respect for the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone. It will allow improving the park’s functional potential and the business climate. We’ve received tremendous support from the Belarusian government,” stressed SZAO Industrial Park Development Company CEO Hu Zheng.

The customs office has a temporary storage warehouse and a customs warehouse. Each occupies 5,000m2. It is possible to expand the customs control zone and the warehouse area.

Work in the customs office Great Stone is organized in line with modern Belarusian customs laws, which take into account key clauses of agreements of the World Trade Organization and the World Customs Organization. In turn, the agreements are built around the principle of unconditional transition to modern digital technologies in customs affairs. Negotiations had been held and agreements had been signed with the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China before the customs office in the industrial park was opened. Agreements had been reached on information exchange and on cooperation in all aspects of customs affairs.

The customs office has been opened upon the initiative of ZAO China Merchants CHN-BLR Commerce & Logistics Company.