Guangzhou Customs has cut in half the time needed to complete customs procedures for imports and exports in one of China‘s major trade ports.

"The simpler customs procedures for importers and exporters have further improved the business and investment climate in Guangzhou," Sun Mei, deputy director of Guangzhou Customs, said on Thursday.

"The simpler procedures have helped more than 22,000 foreign trading companies save 27.53 million yuan ($4.24 million) in production costs in the first eight months of the year," she said.?

Sun said the customs clearance for imported commodities is now about 15 hours, while the clearance of exported products takes about 45 minutes.?

"The time for completion of customs procedures for imported products has been reduced by 40.34 percent, and the time for exports has been cut by 55.82 percent compared with figures from the end of 2016," she said.

Now, imported bananas, pineapples, mangosteens and oranges are on sale in local supermarkets the day after they arrive at Guangzhou’s ports, Sun said.

"More than 98 percent of customs declarations and clearance procedures are now paperless, allowing import and export companies to complete almost all of them online, raising efficiency and saving production costs and time," she said. "Meanwhile, 94 percent of the total fees collected by customs in the city can be made through e-payment.

"In addition to its online system, Guangzhou Customs has also introduced mobile and intelligent systems to help local companies manage customs procedures."?