An agreement signed in Beijing on Tuesday will permit through-traffic of freight between Beijing and Tianjin, a major port city approximately 200kms southeast of Beijing.
Exporters and importers based in Beijing will be able to obtain customs and quarantine clearance for their shipping goods in Beijing, instead of at ports in Tianjin as they had to do previously.
The agreement signed by Beijing's Chaoyang Outlet and Tianjin's Seaport Services authorizes the Chaoyang container station to handle international through-traffic services between the two cities.
Export and import companies in Beijing will enjoy integrated services, including the booking of shipping cargo space, transshipment, warehousing and multimodal transport in the outlet, and goods which have been cleared in Beijing will have free passage through Tianjin's ports.
The Chaoyang Outlet is a major part of Beijing's efficient logistics services system, which is currently under construction.
Beijing's foreign trade volume was US$51.5 billion in 2001, and an over whelming 70 percent, or US$36 billion worth of goods, was transported via sea routes, mostly via the ports in Tianjin.
(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2002)
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