The customs of Qingdao and Jinan in Shandong province introduced an experimental supervision model on Sept 1 to boost B2B (business-to-business) e-commerce exports with 10 other customs approved by the General Administration of Customs.

At around midnight on Sept 1, the first B2B e-commerce export transaction was concluded in the Qingdao Area of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

Under the supervision of Huangdao customs, which is subordinate to the Qingdao Customs, the commodities of two local foreign trade enterprises were cleared at the Cross-border E-commerce Supervision Center of the Qingdao Qianwan Bonded Port Area.

At 1:25 am, beauty products declared by Shandong Xingyitang Biotechnology Co as cross-border e-commerce B2B exports successfully passed through customs.

In Linyi, stationery, hardware, clothing, and other export commodities from six local enterprises passed through customs at the Cross-border E-commerce Supervision Center of Linyi and were sent to overseas warehouses in Germany, Hungary, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and other places.

In Heze, 123 sofas declared for export by a local company managed to quickly pass through customs.

In Yantai, a batch of clothing, small household appliances, and other items valued at a total of 138,000 yuan ($20,189) passed through customs and were shipped to Japan and South Korea.

B2B e-commerce exports are either direct exports of goods from domestic businesses to overseas businesses via cross-border logistics based on deals made through a cross-border e-commerce platform, or goods exported by a domestic company to an overseas warehouse, from which the goods will be delivered to overseas buyers based on deals made over a cross-border e-commerce platform.

E-commerce B2B exports will be given various forms of support, including onetime registration, streamlined declarations, expedited and low-cost clearance services, and prior inspection and customs transit services.

On July 1, the General Administration of Customs launched cross-border B2B export supervision pilot zones in 10 regions, including Beijing and Tianjin. Two months later, 12 more customs, including those of Qingdao and Jinan, were added to the pilot program.

"The new model simplifies the declaration process, improves the efficiency of customs clearance, and reduces operational costs, which is conducive to the export of goods," said a foreign trade enterprise in Shandong.