A special customs department was set up by local authorities in Harbin, Heilongjiang province on March 26.

The new department is based in the city’s Harbin New Zone and will be dedicated to clearing goods being imported and exported by local businesses.

Bingcheng customs will be officially affiliated to Harbin Customs –– a provincial-level department with overall responsibility for clearing commercial consignments being imported and exported from Heilongjiang province.

The new department will be tasked with carrying out customs duties for the city of Harbin, including managing quarantine procedures and tackling smuggling.

However, Harbin Taiping International Airport will not come under the jurisdiction of the new department.

It is expected that Bingcheng customs will help cut clearance times, improve efficiency and reduce costs for local businesses.

A name plaque unveiling ceremony for Bingcheng customs takes place in Harbin New Zone, Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, on March 26. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Officers of the new Bingcheng customs department are photographed during a name plaque unveiling ceremony in Harbin New Zone, Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, on March 26. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The name plaque for the new department is unveiled, March 26. [Photo/Chinanews.com]