In 2023, the General Administration of Customs issued the “Implementation Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of Comprehensive Bonded Zones,” which includes 23 specific reform measures. These measures effectively promote the dual opening-up of comprehensive bonded zones, facilitate the domestic and international dual circulation, and further enhance trade facilitation, helping enterprises reduce costs and improve efficiency. Among these, the seventh measure of the plan specifies the optimization of the “one bill, multiple vehicles” process for the entry and exit of goods in the zone, allowing for “one bill, multiple vehicles” goods to be reported as a whole and delivered separately, enabling single vehicle entry and exit from the zone, thus breaking the traditional restrictions of “whole reporting, whole exiting, and whole entering.” In February 2024, the General Administration of Customs optimized system functionalities and developed a dedicated bonded clearance list to officially implement the new “one bill, multiple vehicles” model. Attached is a guide on the “one bill, multiple vehicles” entry and cargo pooling into the zone.

The “one bill, multiple vehicles” policy has a broad application scope in the logistics sector of Southeast Asian countries. Whether it involves the transportation of goods between comprehensive bonded zones and overseas or the import and export of bulk commodities, this policy provides enterprises with more flexible and efficient logistics solutions. For many trading companies in Southeast Asia, due to their unique geographical positions and economic development needs, they often face large volumes of goods and complex transportation scenarios. The “one bill, multiple vehicles” policy meets these companies’ logistics allocation needs, enabling them to respond more calmly to market changes.

In terms of cost control, the “one bill, multiple vehicles” policy brings significant advantages to logistics enterprises in Southeast Asia. By transporting in batches, companies can avoid making a large one-time investment in transportation capacity, thus reducing transportation costs. Meanwhile, simplified customs procedures and logistics planning arrangements also lower operational costs, enhancing the economic benefits for enterprises.

The improvement in transportation efficiency is particularly evident. In Southeast Asia, complex traffic conditions pose various challenges for logistics companies. The “one bill, multiple vehicles” policy makes vehicle scheduling more flexible, allowing companies to choose the best transportation routes and times based on actual conditions, shortening the transportation time for goods and improving overall logistics efficiency. Especially in customs-regulated areas, the time for vehicles to pass checkpoints has been significantly reduced, further accelerating the flow of goods.

For the business expansion of logistics companies, the “one bill, multiple vehicles” policy has also played a positive role.

As economies in Southeast Asian countries develop, the demand for the transportation of large quantities of goods continues to increase. This policy enables logistics companies to undertake more business, expand their service scope, and enhance their market competitiveness. At the same time, it promotes the development of multimodal transportation, providing customers with more convenient and efficient comprehensive logistics services.

In Southeast Asia, logistics transportation safety across different industries also faces various challenges. The food industry requires strict temperature control to ensure the freshness and quality of perishable goods. The chemical industry must pay close attention to the safety risks of transporting tank trucks and hazardous materials containers. The e-commerce sector needs to address issues like warehouse fires and damaged or lost goods. The pharmaceutical industry has strict requirements for the temperature and packaging of drug transportation to ensure the efficacy and safety of medications. The furniture industry needs to prevent damage and loss during transportation.

In summary, the “one bill, multiple vehicles” customs policy brings new opportunities and challenges to logistics enterprises in Southeast Asian countries. Under the premise of ensuring the safety of goods transportation, this policy will promote the high-quality development of the logistics industry in the Southeast Asian region and contribute to the prosperity of the regional economy.