Printed circuit boards embedded in communication equipment, unloading trucks and ship loaders serving ports and terminals, transformers used in overseas computing centers... More and more "Made in China" going global relies on multi-dimensional strong guarantees such as customs clearance, logistics, and credit. Against the backdrop of global trade facing risks and challenges, how can foreign trade enterprises unlock new development space with credit, enhance trade resilience and economic vitality in the Asia Pacific region?
This year is the "China Year" of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). On August 19th, one of the series of events of the third APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in 2026, the APEC "Certified Operators" (AEO) Symposium, was held in Dalian, Liaoning Province. More than 120 representatives from 13 APEC economies, customs, relevant international organizations, AEO enterprises, and others had in-depth discussions and exchanges on this topic.
The AEO system refers to a certification system advocated by the World Customs Organization, which gives priority clearance, reduced inspection, cross-border mutual recognition and other preferential conveniences to enterprises with high credit status, compliance and safety level. It is known as the "green passport" of international trade.
According to data released on the 19th, as of now, the vast majority of APEC economies have established and implemented AEO systems, and China has achieved AEO mutual recognition with 10 economies including Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia. In the first seven months of this year, the import and export volume of over 15000 AEO enterprises in China accounted for 44.2% of the country's total import and export volume, an increase of 5.77 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Among them, the total import and export volume of other APEC economies increased by 21.87% compared to the same period last year.
In the face of increasingly fierce industry competition, compliant operation and efficient customs clearance have become the core elements for the survival and development of foreign trade enterprises, and seizing the market. AEO certification is a 'golden key' given to law-abiding and trustworthy enterprises. ”Zhu Shanshan, Deputy General Manager of Jiangsu Huapeng Transformer Co., Ltd., said that since obtaining AEO certification from customs at the end of 2024, the frequency of export inspections has significantly decreased, and the efficiency of import and export customs clearance has significantly improved, which has won valuable production and transportation time for the company. "Especially in the 'early delivery bonus' projects set by some overseas customers with varying daily amounts, the clearance time has been transformed into tangible market competitiveness.
Providing more convenience and continuously improving the sense of benefit for AEO enterprises is an important task of China Customs. ”Lin Jiantian, Director of the Enterprise Management and Inspection Department of the General Administration of Customs, introduced that compared with conventional enterprises, the average inspection rate of AEO enterprises has decreased by 20%, and the average customs clearance time for imports has been shortened by 34%; Customs also creatively promotes joint incentives to help AEO enterprises enjoy "green channels" and simplified procedures in market supervision, taxation, and other departments, as well as "real money" measures such as convenient settlement, fee reduction, and credit support in financial departments such as banks, expanding the policy effect of credit incentives.
With the deepening of a new round of technological revolution, China continues to deepen the integration and application of emerging technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence with customs supervision, accelerating the release of AEO dividends with the power of technology, and steadily improving the level of APEC economic and trade cooperation.
For example, the enterprise portrait system established by the Chinese customs uses big data algorithms to convert enterprise compliance information, import and export information, etc. into enterprise behavior labels. It conducts credit evaluations through more than 200 indicators in 5 categories, and adds more than 800 labels to nearly 3 million enterprises, making the characteristics of enterprise operation visible intuitively; The "China Customs Credit Management Service Platform" built allows enterprise personnel to easily click on their mobile phones to consult policies, raise questions, and express suggestions to customs without leaving their homes. More than 800 coordinators from customs across the country can provide responses to enterprises within 2 hours
International guests generally believe that "China's experience and practices in improving service efficiency through digital technology are very worthy of reference". Brendan Pearce, Customs Counsellor at the Embassy of New Zealand in China, stated that this meeting deepened the participants' understanding of the advantages and dividends of AEO systems in different economies, and helped to think deeply about how to further empower enterprise development with credit, cultivate competitive advantages through technological innovation, and contribute to the resilience improvement and digital transformation of regional industrial and supply chains.
Since signing the first AEO mutual recognition agreement with Singapore in 2012, China has signed a total of 34 AEO mutual recognition agreements, covering 60 countries (regions). The number of mutual recognition agreements signed, countries (regions) recognized, and implemented ranks first in the world, better supporting enterprises to enjoy global benefits.
Lin Jiantian stated that AEO certification is crucial for maintaining the security and stability of the supply chain. With AEO cooperation as the link, Chinese customs will work together with APEC member economies to build a more open, inclusive, and resilient Asia Pacific trade ecosystem by expanding the scale of AEO enterprises, lengthening the list of convenient measures, expanding the scope of AEO mutual recognition, and enhancing the effectiveness of AEO mutual recognition. (Looking into the New Era)