Representatives of Dalian and Shenyang’s customs pose for a group photo at a signing ceremony held in Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province on Feb 7.[Photo.Chinanews.com]

The customs of Shenyang and Dalian in Northeast China’s Liaoning province signed memorandums of cooperation on Feb 7 to deepen cooperation on 20 aspects in 2018, in order to boost the growth of foreign trade in Liaoning.

Innovative and reforming policies on customs clearance integration, anti-smuggling, logistics, simplification of customs clearance procedures and Sino-Europe block trains are expected to be laid out, further improving customs’ efficiency and helping businesses undertaking foreign trade save costs.

In 2017, cooperation between the two customs had contributed to the growth of export and import trade in Liaoning province, as well as cargo transportation businesses through the Sino-Europe block trains that depart from Liaoning.

Statistics from Liaoning Provincial Customs revealed that the gross value of import and export in Liaoning reached 673.71 billion yuan ($106.50 billion), a year-on-year growth of 17.9 percent. Among which, the export value accounts for 304.17 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 7.1 percent.

Meanwhile, cargoes at 91,200 TEU (Twenty-foot?Equivalent?Unit?) have been transported through Sino-Europe block trains in 2017, a year-on-year growth of 51.7 percent, according to information from Dalian customs.