General Import and Export Freight Service Guide for Chengmai, Hainan

Chengmai County is located in the northwestern part of Hainan Island, China. It faces the Qiongzhou Strait to the north and is adjacent to Haikou City, the provincial capital. The county enjoys convenient transportation, with the Haiyu Middle and West Trunk Lines, the Western Ring Expressway, the Central Ring Expressway, the Biaocheng Expressway, the Yuehai Railway, and the Western Ring High-Speed Railway all passing through it. This advantageous geographical position not only provides easy access to the sea but also enables seamless connection with other parts of the island, facilitating the movement of goods for both domestic and international trade.

Relying on the policies of the Hainan Free Trade Port, Chengmai focuses on developing industries such as oilfield services and oil trade, the digital economy, and tropical characteristic high-efficiency agriculture. In 2023, Chengmai’s regional GDP increased by 9.0% year-on-year, maintaining the first place among county-level administrative regions in Hainan Province in terms of total volume. The local Ecological Software Park has gathered numerous Internet technology innovation enterprises. Meanwhile, Chengmai is also an important production area of tropical agricultural products in China, known as the “Hometown of Chinese Fucheng Oranges” and the “Hometown of Chinese Seedless Litchis”.

The county governs 11 towns, with 177 village (residential) committees and 867 natural villages. The Hainan Laocheng Economic Development Zone and the Haikou Comprehensive Bonded Zone within the county are important economic development areas, where a large number of import and export enterprises are concentrated. These areas serve as the main distribution centers for import and export goods.

Chengmai mainly relies on the Xin 海港 (Xinhai Port) and Xiuying Port in Haikou for cargo transportation. Both Xinhai Port and Xiuying Port are well-equipped with complete facilities and rich shipping routes, which can connect to major ports in China and many countries and regions around the world. Xinhai Port mainly undertakes passenger and cargo ro-ro transportation tasks, while Xiuying Port focuses on general cargo transportation.

There is no airport in Chengmai County. It mainly depends on Haikou Meilan International Airport and Sanya Phoenix International Airport for air freight. Haikou Meilan International Airport, which is relatively close to Chengmai, has dense freight flights and can directly reach major domestic cities and some international cities. This is convenient for Chengmai County to import and export high-value-added and time-sensitive goods.

Chengmai County has a well-developed road network, enabling the rapid transfer of goods within the county. At the same time, railway transportation also provides strong support for large-batch and long-distance cargo transportation, which can be effectively connected with ports and airports to transport goods to various places.

When exporting goods from Chengmai by FCL sea freight, the costs include basic ocean freight, port handling fees, and documentation fees. The basic ocean freight varies according to the destination port. For example, the price of shipping to ports in Southeast Asia is different from that to ports in Europe and America. Port handling fees are charged according to the type and weight of the container. Documentation fees are for preparing relevant transportation documents. In addition, there may be surcharges such as bunker adjustment factor (BAF) and currency adjustment factor (CAF), which will fluctuate according to market conditions.

The calculation of LCL sea freight costs is relatively complex. Generally, the basic freight is charged according to the volume or weight of the goods. At the same time, it also includes LCL service fees, storage fees, etc. LCL service fees cover the costs of consolidating and de-consolidating goods at the origin and destination ports, such as services like cargo assembly and disassembly. Storage fees refer to the costs of storing goods in the warehouse during the waiting period for consolidation or de-consolidation.

When enterprises in Chengmai County export goods, they first need to sign a trade contract with foreign customers, and then prepare relevant documents, such as commercial invoices, packing lists, and customs declaration forms. Next, transport the goods to the designated port and go through customs declaration and inspection procedures. After the goods pass the customs inspection, they can be loaded onto the ship for shipment. After the goods are loaded, the export enterprise should promptly send a shipping notice to the customer and send relevant documents such as the bill of lading to the customer so that the customer can pick up the goods at the destination port.

When importing goods, the enterprise needs to first sign a purchase contract with the foreign supplier and arrange the payment. Before the goods arrive at the port, the import enterprise should declare to the customs and submit relevant documents, such as the import customs declaration form, bill of lading, commercial invoice, and packing list. After the customs inspects the goods and levies taxes, the import enterprise pays the taxes and can then pick up the goods. If the goods need to go through inspection and quarantine procedures, these procedures should be completed before picking up the goods.

The customs clearance procedures for import and export goods in Chengmai County are handled by the Haikou Customs. The customs will conduct strict inspections on the goods to ensure that they comply with relevant laws, regulations, and trade policies. When conducting customs clearance, enterprises should truthfully declare the information of the goods, including the name, quantity, value, and place of origin of the goods. At the same time, they should prepare relevant documents, such as certificates of origin and quality inspection certificates, to cooperate with the customs inspection work. For some special goods, such as animal and plant products and hazardous chemicals, additional approval procedures are required.