Sanya airport's e-commerce exports soar in H1

In the first six months this year, Sanya Airport's cross-border e-commerce operations really took off as the number of export orders handled via the "9610" platform reached 3.734 million, with a total value of 310 million yuan ($45.6 million).

Both the number of orders and their value have seen significant quarter-on-quarter growth for two consecutive quarters.

The first quarter experienced a 68.3 percent increase in orders and a 38 percent rise in value, while the second quarter saw growth rates of 83.3 percent and 113.8 percent, respectively.

The 9610 model is a customs supervision code used for cross-border e-commerce retail imports and exports.

Officially called Cross-border Electronic Commerce‌, it mainly facilitates business to consumer or B2C retail transactions conducted by domestic individuals and e-commerce companies through online platforms.

Under this model, customs clearances are managed via a "list-based clearance and consolidated declaration" method, enhancing the efficiency of cross-border retail exports.

As a city with both fifth and seventh freedom rights — the former permitting airlines to carry traffic between two foreign nations on services connected to their home state, and the latter allowing operations entirely outside the home country without any requirement to serve it — Sanya is actively expanding and intensifying its international flight routes to Southeast Asia and Europe.

The airport has launched cross-border e-commerce cargo charter flights — attracting a wide variety of goods such as cultural and creative products, home goods and mechanical parts from across China — effectively diversifying its sources and types of cargo.

In order to meet the fast-paced and small-value nature of cross-border e-commerce orders, Sanya Airport Customs, part of Haikou Customs, has implemented a clearance supervision model that involves early involvement, guidance on declarations, appointment-based clearances and centralized inspection.

The model boosts efficiency while ensuring strict oversight — allowing businesses to streamline their declarations and to enjoy swift, convenient clearances, ultimately reducing operational costs.

A representative from a cross-border e-commerce company praised the moves, "Thanks to the support from customs, our shipments are dispatched overseas promptly, and this gives us greater confidence in expanding our future business."

Meanwhile, an official from Sanya Airport Customs declared: "We are committed to aligning with the needs of cross-border e-commerce development — continuously refining our regulatory service model to ensure high-quality supervision that boosts the steady improvement of cross-border e-commerce exports at Sanya Airport".