BEIJING and Tianjin customs has commenced a Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integrated Clearance Model to integrate the contiguous region's clearance systems into a single platform, reports Lloyd's Loading List.

If successful, the initiative will be extended to the Yangtze and the Pearl river regions, said China's General Administration of Customs.

Under the scheme, shipments can be released by Tianjin Customs District following if an all clear message given by Beijing Customs District or vice versa.

Customs spokesman Zhang Guangzhi said importers and exporters can decide whether to use the new model according to their clearance needs.

At the initial trial stage, goods that pass through the cross-customs clearance process have been cleared in under 60 seconds, according to customs officers.