On March 26, a TIR truck carrying Russian specialty goods such as pastries and candies cleared customs at Qingdao Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone, marking the launch of China's first cross-border e-commerce import service combining TIR transport with bonded zone advantages.

The shipment departed from the SCO Demonstration Zone's Silk Road E-commerce service base in Moscow on March 13. It then entered China via the Manzhouli port in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and traveled by road directly to the bonded zone in Qingdao — achieving seamless "single declaration, unimpeded passage".

The TIR system allows goods to move through contracting countries without repeated inspections or reloading, halving transit times compared to conventional road transport.

Under the new "TIR + bonded" model, imported goods can enter the bonded zone without immediate tariff payment. Duties are settled only when orders are placed, reducing warehousing and customs costs while easing cash flow pressures for businesses.

"With this model, we can store goods in the bonded zone and only clear customs after domestic orders are placed," said Zhao Qingqiang, general manager of a logistics firm in Qingdao." It lowers costs and shortens delivery times for Russian products to Chinese consumers."

Sun Yafei of Qingdao Jiaodong Airport Customs noted that the initiative supports a more efficient international logistics corridor linking China with Eurasian markets.

The China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area now operates five TIR routes and has become a national leader in TIR outbound shipments. Deputy director Fu Zhonghua said the new service adds momentum to the area's efforts to build a comprehensive "Silk Road E-commerce" platform and facilitate deeper trade connectivity.

On March 26, a TIR truck carrying Russian specialty goods clears customs at Qingdao Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]