(Singapore, 26.08.2025) Currently, at the Youyiguan Port located in Pingxiang City, Guangxi, along the China-Vietnam border, cross-border vehicles laden with electromechanical export products and imported fruits pass through in an endless stream, as import-export trade at the Port continues to boom.
As the largest land port in Guangxi for fruit imports, Youyiguan Port achieved a leap in customs clearance efficiency through intelligent transformation, creating a “fast track” for Southeast Asian fruits and other goods to enter the Chinese market.
Currently, the Chinese section of the China-Vietnam Youyiguan-Friendship Smart Port Project-the Youyiguan Smart Port-has been largely completed and entered the phase of joint debugging and testing.
As China’s first smart border port project, it is expected to significantly enhance port clearance capacity upon operation, effectively alleviate customs clearance pressure at the China-Vietnam border, facilitate the transformation of the border port from a “transit economy” to an “industrial economy,” and contribute to the sustained deepening of economic and trade relations between China and Vietnam.
Stepping into the Youyiguan Smart Port, intelligent scenarios are ubiquitous: remotely operated lifting equipment and autonomously navigating IGV unmanned vehicles have taken over primary transport tasks, achieving “automated transfer immediately upon container landing.” Unmanned operations have become the mainstream clearance process.
Deng Junrong, Head of the Project Management Department at Guangxi Pingxiang Integrated Free Trade Zone Development and Investment Co., Ltd. and member of the Party Member Task Force for the Smart Port Project, explained that the Youyiguan Smart Port initiative focuses on achieving “three reductions, one cost cut, and one efficiency boost” along with “two 24-hour goals.”
These objectives include streamlining documentation, simplifying procedures, reducing manual labor, lowering clearance costs, and enhancing overall efficiency.
Leveraging automated equipment, the Port enables 24-hour customs clearance and facilitates 24-hour direct freight services between Nanning and Hanoi cargo depots.
Deng Junrong stated that under the traditional model, drivers had to undergo loading and unloading at Vietnamese cargo depots. However, once the smart port is fully completed and operational, drivers of commercial container trucks will only go to the container transfer area.
All subsequent processes will be handled by automated system scheduling, with unmanned transport vehicles completing container delivery. This will significantly reduce drivers’ waiting time and vehicle detention periods, allowing companies to achieve “depart immediately upon delivery” and “leave right after pickup” at the port, drastically compressing overall processing time.
With technological empowerment, customs inspection at Youyiguan Port has achieved accelerated efficiency, streamlining declaration processes for relevant enterprises and facilitating smoother import of ASEAN fruits into China.
Xiong Hui, Deputy Section Chief of the First Inspection Division at Youyiguan Port Customs, explained that leveraging an intelligent inspection assistance system, the customs department has conducted automated queuing, number calling, and parking upon enterprise card swiping.
Vehicle scheduling is automatically managed through geomagnetic sensors, significantly improving berth rotation efficiency; Meanwhile, the smart quarantine system has featured digitized fumigation procedures, reducing labor demands while speeding up clearance.
Data shows that daily fruit inspection capacity has increased from 100 to 180 trucks following the intelligent transformation.
Li Qianchang, Deputy General Manager of Guangxi Ouheng International Logistics Co., Ltd., stated that the “Smart Youyiguan” APP has digitized the entire declaration process, allowing procedures to be completed before containers arrive, achieving half a day saving compared to previous methods.
The company primarily handles customs clearance for Southeast Asian fruits such as durians and mangosteens. Daily import volumes have now increased from 10 to 30-40 containers, while the logistics cycle from factory to market has been shortened from one week to three or four days.
“The factory is expected to reach full production capacity between late August and early September.
Currently, the fruit pulp workshop and puree production line are operating at near-full capacity, while procurement staff are negotiating prices with suppliers from Malaysia, Vietnam, and other regions. “Wang Shuguo, Factory Director of Guangxi Zhongguo Industry Co., Ltd., explained that considering the advantages of imported fruits in Pingxiang, Guangxi, the company established its facility in Xiashi Town, Pingxiang in 2023.
Leveraging the benefits of the Youyiguan Port, the company now imports fruits from Vietnam by land transport with rapid customs clearance, reaching the factory within three days. This approach reduces logistics costs and time, enhancing the competitiveness of the company’s fruit business operations.
To address the peak season for Southeast Asian fruit imports, Youyiguan Customs has implemented measures such as dynamically adjusting working hours and deploying additional staff to ensure efficient clearance. Xiong Hui stated that the efforts will be further made to involve deepening the application of smart port technologies, utilizing big data and AI to further enhance efficiency.
With the comprehensive implementation of intelligent equipment, Youyiguan Port is undergoing transition from a traditional border hub to a smart trade node.
