Guangxi holds a press conference to introduce its new policy on reducing charges in Beibu Gulf ports on May 27. [Photo by Li Xin/gxnews.com.cn]

A new policy on reducing the charges for intermediary services in Beibu Gulf ports was officially issued by Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region at a press conference held by related government departments on May 27.

The forthcoming Special Action Plan for Promoting Further Reduction of Intermediary Service Charges in Guangxi Beibu Gulf Ports (2020-2021) proposed to reduce 13 intermediary service charges, such as the tally service fee, the terminal operation fee, the container handover bill, the shipping bill of lading replacement charge, and the terminal handling bill.

The action plan will be implemented in two stages in two years. Among them, some of the charge items will reach the level of domestic first-class ports like Shanghai Port and Ningbo Port at the end of 2020, and reach the level of international advanced ports like Singapore Port by the end of 2021.

If these goals can be achieved, Beibu Gulf ports will become the most competitive coastal ports in China, said Tang Aibin, deputy director of the Guangxi Development and Reform Commission.

Tang noted that the action plan has nine specific measures, including vigorously introducing port intermediary service enterprises, improving the service level of ports and customs, increasing the infrastructure construction of the intermediary service market, as well as strengthening intermediary service market supervision.

Composed of Qinzhou Port, Fangchenggang Port, and Beihai Port, the Guangxi Beibu Gulf ports are the most convenient gateway for China's inland cities to enter the ASEAN countries. According to the national plan, Beibu Gulf ports will be built into an international gateway of the western Land-Sea Trade Corridor and a port group with international competitiveness.

In the future, the market supervision department of the region will urge all port cities to sort out the fee-charging projects of intermediary services in Beibu Gulf ports and guide enterprises to take the initiative to implement relevant preferential policies for fee reductions.