On September 15, it was learned from relevant sources that the foreign trade development of Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone (ZAEZ) has achieved a landmark breakthrough: the number of registered foreign trade enterprises in this zone has officially exceeded 1,000. The enterprise activity rate has increased by 44.12% year-on-year, with 152 new enterprises registered since the beginning of this year, a year-on-year increase of 39.45%. This milestone achievement not only injects strong momentum into the high-quality development of ZAEZ's foreign trade but also marks a solid step forward in the construction of a new highland for opening-up in the inland areas of the Central Plains, realizing a new leap in the development capacity of the export-oriented economy.

Data reflect the vitality of development. In the first seven months of this year, ZAEZ's total import and export volume reached 229.681 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 40.2%, submitting an impressive "report card" amid the complex external environment. This achievement is inseparable from the coordinated efforts of multiple departments, including Port Administration, Xinzheng Customs, Investment Promotion Department, and Government Service and Big Data Center. By continuously promoting the effective implementation of the integrated domestic and foreign trade policies, accurately meeting enterprises' development needs, and comprehensively helping foreign trade enterprises achieve "dual improvements" in scale and quality, the opening-up advantages of the inland areas continue to be unleashed.

The "1+4+N" port system is strengthened to unblock the "main artery" of opening-up. Relying on Xinzheng Comprehensive Bonded Zone(XCBZ)as the core carrier, ZAEZ has integrated four types of port resources, namely Air Port, Henan Hub for International Road Transport, International Mail Hub Port, and International Inland Port, and superimposed various customs-designated supervision sites, thus building a "1+4+N" port structure with the most complete functions and leading efficiency. Today, starting from here, "buying globally and selling globally" has become a daily routine for more and more export-oriented enterprises. The comprehensive port logistics service capacity continues to lead in inland areas, laying a solid for foreign trade development.

The "Zone-Port Integration" model is innovated to "accelerate" customs clearance. Aiming at enterprises' pain points regarding customs clearance efficiency and logistics costs, ZAEZ has made bold explorations to break down the physical barriers between XCBZ and Air Port, and innovatively launched a comprehensive customs clearance model featuring "one system, one tally, one inspection, and one pickup", realizing the seamless connection between the "zone" and the "port". At present, the regional customs clearance efficiency has increased by more than 60%, and enterprise transportation costshave decreased by more than 50%. The customs clearance environment characterized by "effective supervision, liberalized management, and rapid clearance" has enabled foreign trade enterprises to gain greater advantages in market competition.

The full-cycle services are optimized to cultivate "fertile soil" for development. Taking the reform of "efficiently completing one matter" as the starting point, ZAEZ has innovatively launched a window service system for foreign trade "integrated services". By integrating resources from multiple departments and simplifying work procedures, it provides "one-stop" services for enterprises. Since its trial operation in November 2024, the system has provided enterprises with assistance services and business handling for more than 280 times, and 14 high-frequency matters have realized "one-window handling". The first-class business environment featuring marketization, legalization, and internationalization has been continuously optimized, making enterprise development more worry-free and secure.

Behind the gathering of over 1,000 enterprises lies the continuous enhancement of ZAEZ's opening-up capacity and,more importantly, the vigorous growth of the export-oriented economy in the Central Plains region. "In the future, with the in-depth implementation of various opening-up policies and the continuous optimization of service measures, ZAEZ will continue to shoulder the mission and responsibility of being a 'bridgehead' for inland opening-up and write more wonderful chapters for the development of the open economy in the Central Plains," said a relevant official from ZAEZ's Port Administration. (Chinese source: dahe.cn Reporter: Liang Yaqi Translator: Hong Jianyuan)