Chinese customs unveils measures to boost development of western regions

China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Sunday unveiled 15 measures aimed at advancing the large-scale development of the country's western regions, with a particular focus on promoting openness.

The measures include support for the opening or expansion of ports in eligible areas in need, and the exploration of further measures to facilitate intermodal river-sea and rail-sea transportation.

此外，广汽集团还计划支持成都、重庆、昆明、西安、乌鲁木齐等城市建设国际航空枢纽，同时促进西部地区特色农产品出口。

中国始终致力于以更加开放的方式、扩大对内对外开放促进西部地区发展。

这项工作的一个重要例子是国际陆海贸易新通道，这是连接中国西部地区与全球市场，特别是东盟市场的标志性物流网络。

In 2024, the corridor reached a significant milestone by handling over 10,000 intermodal rail-sea train journeys, facilitating the transport of 87,846 twenty-foot equivalent units to and from RCEP member countries, a 32 percent year-on-year increase.

According to GAC data, the total imports and exports of China's western regions surged from 2.96 trillion yuan (about 412 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020 to 3.74 trillion yuan in 2023, representing an average annual growth rate of 8.5 percent.