CHANGCHUN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- In just nine hours, 650 kilograms of live king crabs from Russia were airlifted from Changchun in northeast China to Hong Kong, complete with customs clearance. The shipment, which took place on Tuesday, significantly shortened the cross-border transit time for these highly perishable aquatic products.

This shipment also marked the first use of a bonded logistics model in Jilin Province, with Changchun as its capital, to facilitate the transit trade of live king crabs within a comprehensive bonded zone.

As a key northern gateway of China, Jilin has seen brisk foreign trade in recent years. Data shows that in 2024, around 1.5 million king crabs, valued at 3.31 billion yuan (about 469 million U.S. dollars), were imported through the Hunchun Port in Jilin, accounting for over 80 percent of the national total.

The success of the bonded transit trade of live king crabs can be attributed to several factors, including Hunchun's geographical proximity to Russia, the policy flexibility of the comprehensive bonded zone, and the efficient transport capacity of the airport, according to Huang Jianfeng, deputy head of customs at the Changchun Longjia International Airport.

"The new model not only reduces operating costs for enterprises but also addresses key bottlenecks in the supply chain of live aquatic products," Huang said. "It lays a foundation for Jilin to develop into a national distribution hub for imported king crabs and to better connect with the international market."

Comprehensive bonded zones are customs-supervised areas with streamlined clearance procedures, serving as vital platforms for China's opening-up endeavors. Policies such as tax refunds upon entry, bonded imports and the free flow of goods within the zone help enterprises significantly reduce institutional transaction costs.

Over 160 such zones nationwide play a crucial role in expanding trade, attracting foreign investment and driving industrial upgrades.