Qingdao Port in east China’s Shandong Province has posted steady growth in trade with ASEAN countries, driven by expanding rail-sea intermodal links, policy dividends from the RCEP, and faster customs clearance.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest free trade pact, has been in effect since January 2022, gradually eliminating tariffs on more than 90 percent of goods traded among its 15 members.

According to Qingdao Customs, the port’s imports and exports with ASEAN reached 255.63 billion yuan (around 37.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of this year, up 11.8 percent year on year. Exports of ships surged 160.9 percent, commercial vehicles rose 55.1 percent, and the "new trio" of electric vehicles, photovoltaic products and lithiumion batteries jumped 163.5 percent.

At the railsea intermodal center, dispatchers work at a relentless pace to keep cargo from across China moving on schedule for international sailings.

Railsea intermodal transport has become a convenient, stable and costsaving option, drawing more goods from inland cities such as Zhengzhou and Xi’an to Qingdao Port for export overseas.

China’s imports and exports of intermediate goods with ASEAN reached 2.86 trillion yuan in the first half of this year, up 24.5 percent year on year, accounting for about twothirds of bilateral trade. The RCEP continues to deliver dividends, deepening supplychain cooperation and multiplying shipping routes.

Huangdao Customs, under Qingdao Customs, has moved the inspection process forward to reduce waiting times for fresh goods such as frozen durian pulp and seafood. Scanning checks are now completed during unloading and container consolidation, helping to speed up customs clearance.