Exhibitors at the 4th China International Import Expo – held in East China's Shanghai city on Nov 5-10 – all handed out high praise to the trade facilitation platform, called the China (Shanghai) International Trade Single Window, for the quality and efficiency of its services.

The platform allows companies to make a reservation for their customs declarations in order to reduce waiting and inquiry times, helping to speed up the trading process.

According to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, which manages the window, by the end of last year there were 109,000 accounts registered with it, which covered all export tax rebates in the trading of goods. Moreover, a total of 103.3 billion yuan ($16.18 billion) of tax rebates were channeled through the platform.

During the first half of 2021, the single window handled customs declarations on 11.57 million consignments of goods and 182,000 shipments, up 20.25 and 20.56 percent respectively year-on-year.

Additionally, the single window has developed more than 10 financial products to help companies on a tight budget. Over the first six months of the year, it provided 120 companies with 102 million yuan in funds, an increase of 124 percent year-on-year.