Shanghai's foreign trade reached 2.15 trillion yuan (US$299.44 billion) in the first half of this year, marking a 2.4 percent year-on-year increase, according to statistics released by Shanghai Customs. Notably, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone accounted for over 1.1 trillion yuan of this total, representing more than a quarter of the national free trade zone foreign trade volume.
As China's first bonded zone, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone achieved nearly 500 billion yuan in foreign trade, constituting 23 percent of Shanghai's total import and export value. It remains the leader among all special customs supervision zones nationwide. Meanwhile, Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone leveraged its integrated port-zone management advantage to achieve over 20 percent growth in import-export value.
Shanghai Customs has been actively supporting efficient clearance for key technology products while tailoring services to foster new quality productive forces.
In a landmark case in February, blood apheresis samples from a lymphoma patient were shipped from Hong Kong International Airport and arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport the same day. After customs inspection, the samples were immediately delivered to Fosun Kairos Biotechnology's cell factory in Pudong. The entire process from landing to customs declaration, inspection, and release took just four hours. Over a month later, the patient successfully received CAR-T cell therapy at a Hong Kong hospital, marking China's first cross-border (Hong Kong) transport and reinfusion of CAR-T drugs. This breakthrough not only represented the nation's first successful cross-border CAR-T treatment for lymphoma but also demonstrated the effectiveness of Shanghai's innovative joint supervision mechanism for biomedical special items.
Through initiatives like the Free Trade Zone enhancement strategy and the construction of the Oriental Hub International Business Cooperation Zone, Shanghai Customs is building a new highland for institutional opening-up. The "direct release at first line" policy has been expanded to ports including Waigaoqiao Port and Pudong International Airport, significantly improving logistics efficiency. The customs authority also facilitated breakthroughs in bonded remanufacturing, with China's first out-of-zone bonded remanufacturing business launching in Shanghai, enabling Volvo hydraulic pumps to achieve "cross-border renewal."
