The Yizhuang Comprehensive Bonded Zone in southeastern Beijing began operation yesterday, marking China's first bonded zone dedicated to developing new quality productive forces.

Approved by the State Council last September, the zone is located in the south of Beijing E-Town (Yizhuang), adjacent to key industrial clusters of this economic-technological development area.

The first shipment, valued at $700,000, consisted of imported valve equipment for high-precision manufacturing. "From arrival to customs clearance, the process was nearly seamless thanks to automatic identification and real-time release, greatly improving logistics efficiency," said Huo Kangtian, safety officer for the autonomous delivery truck that carried the shipment.

The zone's regulatory system supports the smooth movement of autonomous vehicles, using data platforms from the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area to provide transparency and visibility throughout the logistics process.

An integrated monitoring and decision-making system serves as an "intelligent hub" for command and dispatch, pooling data on people, vehicles, cargo, companies and networks to support customs checks and trade verification.

The zone now has 55,000 square meters of industrial space, with its research and development building and processing facility expected to open in the first quarter of 2026.

According to Wang Yan, head of the area’s customs, hardware tests have been completed, and customs personnel began operations in early December. Full-process drills have been conducted to test customs declaration, taxation, inspection and emergency response procedures.

Also on Thursday, the authorities announced measures to accelerate the development of the zone, focusing on financial support, service guidance, and institutional innovation, with project funding of up to 50 million yuan ($7.09 million).

By 2028, the zone aims to develop new business models, attract advanced manufacturing projects and cultivate leading enterprises, while establishing public innovation service platforms to achieve national leadership in productivity and openness.