【Reading Tips】
Repeatedly apply for visas, carefully calculate the time of entry and exit, and queue up for customs clearance...... These often encountered situations make almost every person in charge of foreign trade enterprises feel a headache.
But in fact, as long as you get an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) business travel card, you can solve these problems to a large extent.
The APEC business travel card is a special travel document created by APEC to facilitate the exchange of business personnel in the region. With a valid passport and APEC business travel card, cardholders can travel freely between the 16 approved economies without the need for an entry visa for 5 years.
In 2023, Hebei Province will apply for 2,615 new APEC business travel cards, ranking fifth in the country, and the number of cards issued in one year will exceed the sum of the previous 10 years.
What is the convenience of the APEC business travel card?Why has the number of new card applicants in our province increased explosively since 2023?What do foreign trade enterprises think about this?
On June 28, 2023, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and the Shijiazhuang Overseas Returned Youth Association jointly held a seminar on the APEC business travel card policy to promote the APEC business travel card to enterprises. Photo courtesy of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office
With a card in hand, just go
"I'm currently in Vietnam, and I'm here to talk to a customer about a sales business, and I'm expected to return to China in three days. On April 19, the reporter dialed the phone of Yan Pengfei, general manager of Hebei Furod Floor Material Technology Co., Ltd., and Yan Pengfei on the other end of the phone said in a hurry, "I used the APEC business travel card (hereinafter referred to as the 'travel card') to clear customs this time, which is indeed very convenient, eliminating various procedures for visas, and more free in time arrangement." ”
In fact, this is not the first time Yan Pengfei has benefited from a travel card. In November last year, a salesman of the company wanted to go to Chile to discuss business, but suddenly something could not be done before departure. "We immediately found an employee with a travel card to replace him temporarily, and the original business negotiations were not delayed at all, and we successfully won an order of 12 million yuan. ”
What kind of card is a travel card, and why is it so "powerful"?
On April 15, at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Hebei Provincial People's Government (hereinafter referred to as the "Provincial Foreign Affairs Office"), Wang Tao, director of the Administration of Going Abroad and Hong Kong and Macao, showed reporters the travel card - this is a card the size of an ID card, with the applicant's photo, name, nationality, travel card number and other information on the front, and the back is marked with the user's passport number and the English abbreviation of the economy that can be visited.
"Don't look at this small card as inconspicuous, it can come in handy for foreign trade enterprises. Wang Tao introduced that Chinese cardholders can freely travel between 16 APEC economies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Chile and Russia within a five-year validity period, and can stay for 60 to 180 days each entry, and can enjoy the convenience of fast customs clearance. In other words, this card is equivalent to a 5-year valid visa for 16 countries.
It is worth mentioning that in 2023, Hebei will apply for a total of 2,615 new travel cards, ranking fifth in the country, only after Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, four economically developed coastal regions.
What convenience can travel cards bring to foreign trade enterprises? Wang Tao summed it up as "three provinces and one priority", that is, saving money, time, trouble, and giving priority to customs clearance.
"The cost of applying for an ordinary individual visa generally ranges from hundreds of yuan to thousands of yuan, and in order to visit customers and inspect the market, I need to go to APEC economies more than 10 times a year, and it costs tens of thousands of yuan a year to apply for a visa. Hebei Zhaoyou Fluff Textile Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhaoyou Fluff") Deputy General Manager Gao Linna said.
In contrast, the travel card only needs to pay the card production fee of 720 yuan collected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and there are no other fees, so the travel burden of foreign trade enterprises is greatly reduced.
In addition to saving money, the time-saving and trouble-saving characteristics of travel cards are more important for foreign trade enterprises.
"Time and efficiency are the 'lifeline' of foreign trade enterprises. It takes half a month or even longer to apply for a business visa each time, and holding a travel card can enjoy 5 years of visa-free travel for 16 economies, which provides great convenience for enterprises to open up markets, compete for orders, and seize business opportunities. Gao Lina said.
Yang Yunpeng, who is in charge of foreign trade business of Xingtai Yatai Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., also praised the travel card. He introduced that the company is a production of large-scale construction lifting equipment designated manufacturing enterprises, business personnel often have to go to South Korea, Russia, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries to participate in the promotion meeting, training meetings, sometimes need to go abroad to guide the installation of projects, after-sales maintenance, etc.
"Once, an important customer in Russia called urgently, saying that there was a problem with the tower crane on the project, and asked us to send engineers to solve it as soon as possible. Thanks to the travel card, our staff arrived in Russia the next day, which not only allowed the problem to be solved in a timely manner, but also won good reviews from customers and more orders. Yang Yunpeng said.
In addition, holders of travel cards can also enjoy the convenience of fast customs clearance when entering the relevant areas. At present, APEC economies have special travel card lanes at major airports, and cardholders can directly enter and exit the country through the special channels.
"In the past, when we went on business trips to some popular countries, we often had to wait in line for an hour or two when we cleared customs. After applying for a travel card, cardholders can clear customs from the APEC fast track with almost no queues. The person in charge of a number of foreign trade enterprises in our province said.
In September 2023, at the site of the Mexican Hardware Exhibition, many enterprises in our province participated in the exhibition. Photo courtesy of Cui Xiangyong
In 2023, the number of cards will exceed the sum of the previous 10 years
"The number of cards issued in 2023 is more than in the previous 10 years combined. Talking about the achievements of the travel card application in our province last year, Wang Tao is very proud.
How did such explosive growth come about?
Industry insiders believe that this is closely related to the recovery of the foreign trade industry in our province.
In 2023, the scale of foreign trade import and export in our province will increase steadily, and the quality of development will increase. According to the data, the total import and export value of our province last year was 581.84 billion yuan, and the annual import and export scale reached a new high. From a monthly point of view, the province's import and export growth rate has been higher than the overall growth rate of the country for 10 months, of which the monthly import and export value in December exceeded 60 billion yuan for the first time, hitting a monthly record high.
In order to provide more convenience for enterprises to expand overseas business, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office has specially issued the "Eight Measures for Promoting Internationalization and Investment Promotion in Foreign Affairs", which requires increasing the promotion of APEC business travel cards.
"Actually, the travel card is not a new thing, and the mainland began to implement the travel card program as early as November 2003. However, due to various reasons, until the first two years, there were still many foreign trade enterprises who did not understand and were not familiar with the card. Yang Yueyong, deputy director of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office's Overseas and Hong Kong and Macao Management Office, introduced.
In order to expand the awareness rate of travel cards, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office issued the "Letter on Promoting APEC Business Travel Cards to Enterprises" to the Provincial Department of Commerce, the Provincial Administration for Market Regulation, the Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Shijiazhuang Customs and other departments to jointly carry out the promotion of travel cards.
According to statistics, in 2023, with the help of the RCEP 100 promotion activities of the Provincial Department of Commerce and the "Midwifery, Marketing and Transformation" activities of the Provincial Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office will hold 37 publicity meetings in 48 counties (cities and districts) to promote the advantages of travel cards to more than 1,600 enterprises face-to-face. At the same time, the foreign affairs offices of each city also carried out publicity to foreign trade enterprises in their jurisdictions, and the foreign affairs offices at the provincial and municipal levels organized a total of 123 publicity meetings throughout the year.
"In the past, we advertised travel cards as 'casting a wide net', but they weren't precise enough. Since 2023, we have further refined the portraits of the bidding groups, and strive to achieve accurate promotion. Yang Yueyong said that at the promotion meeting of "RCEP Yan Zhao Xing - 100 Thousands of Enterprises Promotion Activities - Australia (Intellectual Property Special)" held not long ago, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office promoted the travel card for 50 companies that were interested in going to Australia, and 1,410 people watched it online, and the publicity effect was remarkable.
From "not knowing" to "taking the initiative", enterprises have the most right to speak. Gao Linna told reporters that Zhaoyou fluff has been doing foreign trade since more than 40 years ago, and has trade contacts with many APEC economies, but she has not known the existence of travel cards before. "It wasn't until April 2023, when the staff of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office took the initiative to go to the enterprise for publicity and promotion, that we heard about and learned more about the travel card for the first time. ”
"In May 2023, our company applied for travel cards for six staff members in one go. After receiving the card at the end of last year, I have used the card to travel to South Korea, Japan, Russia, Australia and other countries, and it is really convenient. Gao Lina said.
In addition to offline promotion, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office has also actively increased promotion efforts through new media means. For example, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, the Department of Commerce, the official websites of various business associations, and WeChat official accounts were used to publicize the application process, storage and use of travel cards, and other relevant information, and the total number of online hits exceeded 5 million.
In order to allow enterprises to obtain a better application experience, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office has also focused on the needs of enterprises and further optimized the card application process. For example, the staff of the Foreign Affairs Office took the initiative to go to various business associations, relying on the strength of non-governmental organizations to broaden the scope of promotion, encouraging local cities and chambers of commerce to recommend enterprises to join the provincial "white list" enterprise database, and providing convenient services for the "green channel" of travel cards.
In response to the urgent travel needs of some bidding enterprises, the staff will take the initiative to communicate with the personalized service of "card production in advance" to solve the urgent needs of enterprises.
In addition, the application for travel cards by enterprise personnel in the province has also realized the whole process of online processing, non-face-to-face handling - online submission of applications, online approval, and mailing to home, which greatly saves time and costs.
"The review time has been significantly shortened, and it took about half a year from the application to the card last year, and the personnel who applied for the office at the beginning of this year have already got the card in April. Wang Yaning, deputy general manager of Hebei Amity Exhibition Service Co., Ltd., said that they are committed to helping foreign trade enterprises open up the international market through international trade fairs, and in September this year, he will lead 20 companies to Mexico to participate in an international hardware exhibition, most of which have handled travel cards.
Wang Tao said that in the future, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office will continue to increase the promotion of travel cards, comprehensively use online and offline means to expand the knowledge of travel cards, and contribute to the "Hebei goods going to sea" and creating an international first-class business environment.
The pace of enterprises "going out" is getting faster and faster
In the process of interviewing the travel card application enterprises, the reporter has an obvious feeling - the pace of "going out" of enterprises in our province is getting faster and faster.
As a lifting machinery manufacturing enterprise established in 1997, Xingtai Yatai Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. only did domestic business at first. It was not until 2014 that the company decided to expand into the international market.
"Everything is difficult at the beginning, although the quality of the lifting equipment we produce is excellent, but if you want to expand the foreign market, you must start from scratch. Yang Yunpeng said that in order to improve the company's popularity in the international market, they frequently went abroad to participate in various exhibitions during that time to show their fist products.
"In order to facilitate travel, the company applied for a travel card for us in 2015, which is relatively early in the industry, which provides great convenience for us to explore the international market in the early stage. Yang Yunpeng said.
In just a few years, Yatai Heavy Industry's exports have improved. Through cooperation with cross-border e-commerce platforms such as eBay and JD International, the company's export volume soon exceeded 5 million yuan, and its products were successively exported to APEC economies such as Russia, Vietnam, South Korea, and Malaysia.
"With the increase in overseas business, enterprises are becoming more and more dependent on travel cards. After the expiration of the first batch of travel cards in 2015, the company applied for the second batch of travel cards, and the scope of cardholders has also expanded from the initial sales staff to technical personnel and after-sales personnel. Yang Yunpeng said.
With the "going out" of enterprises in our province The pace is getting faster and faster, and the number of travel cards held by many enterprises is also increasing: Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd. has applied for more than 50 travel cards in recent years, and each cardholder uses them 3 to 4 times a year, mainly used to participate in overseas auto shows and new car listing activities, which has provided a boost for nearly 2 billion yuan of overseas orders; Tangshan Shenying Technology Co., Ltd. has applied for more than 30 travel cards in recent years, and each person uses them 2 to 3 times a year, contributing to nearly 300 million yuan of orders; Juli Rigging Co., Ltd. has applied for nearly 40 travel cards in recent years, and each person uses them 2 to 3 times a year, contributing to hundreds of millions of yuan in orders。
In the process of "going out", the company not only expanded the market, but also realized its own transformation and upgrading.
"The product standards implemented by the EU are relatively strict, and the requirements for electrical design, structural design, etc. in terms of safety and humanization are very detailed. Yang Yunpeng said that in order to open the European market, Yatai Heavy Industry's tower crane finally passed the EU certification after more than a year of research and development, optimization and upgrading.
Talking about the transformation and upgrading of enterprises in the process of "going overseas", Gao Linna also felt a lot. She introduced that although Zhaoyou fluff started as a foreign trader, for a long time, they exported cashmere in the form of rough raw materials, with unstable orders and low added value of products.
"Later, we started to produce high value-added cashmere garments, but at first we also did OEM for foreign brands, and most of the profits were made by others. Gao Lina said.
In recent years, Zhaoyou Fluff has joined hands with Shenzhen Langtu Creative Design Group to create a new brand with a high degree of differentiation with the "design + brand" model. Today's Zhaoyou fluff has become a collection of carding workshop, spinning workshop, weaving workshop, dyeing and finishing workshop and garment handmade clothing workshop in one of the whole chain wool and garment company, the company exports to developed countries cashmere garments can be sold up to 50,000 or 60,000 yuan.
The exhibition industry is a barometer and weather vane of economic development, with the characteristics of a wide range of fields and a high degree of relevance. Cui Xiangyong, general manager of Hebei Amity Exhibition Service Co., Ltd., organizes Hebei foreign trade enterprises to participate in exhibitions all over the world all year round, and has intuitive judgment and feelings about the "going out" of enterprises in our province.
"In recent years, more and more foreign trade enterprises in Hebei have held more and more travel cards, and their willingness to participate in foreign exhibitions has become stronger and stronger. In 2023, the enthusiasm of Hebei foreign trade enterprises to participate in foreign exhibitions is very high, and there are more than 70 exhibitions participated in by our company throughout the year, and most of the exhibitions are difficult to find. Cui Xiangyong said.
"This year, the company is expected to organize enterprises in our province to participate in more than 60 international exhibitions to help our province's export-oriented economy achieve high-quality development. Cui Xiangyong said. (Hebei Daily reporter Wang Sida)
link
Read the APEC travel card in one article
Travel cards are eligible for issuance
Government officials involved in APEC affairs or engaged in travel card work are required to frequently travel to APEC economies to engage in business activities, and relevant personnel of non-public enterprises registered in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan). Non-public enterprises include private enterprises (including partnership enterprises and sole proprietorship enterprises), as well as Sino-foreign joint ventures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises, and Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao-funded enterprises.
The scope of enterprises is mainly processing and manufacturing, import and export of goods trade, finance, network technology, education, logistics, tourism, law, accounting, engineering and construction enterprises. Travel card applicants must hold a valid Chinese passport.
Basic conditions for applicants
Frequent travel to APEC economies due to work needs, no criminal record or refusal of visa by foreign countries, especially those implementing the APEC business travel card program.
Quantitative standards for non-public enterprises to apply for qualifications
The number of employees ≥ 10 people, the import and export volume of the previous year ≥ 500,000 yuan, the enterprise has completed the tax payment in accordance with the law, and the staff has worked for > 6 months continuously.
Passing countries and how to use them
At present, there are 16 countries where mainland cardholders can pass, namely: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The APEC Business Travel Card is equivalent to a 5-year multiple-entry visa. The maximum length of entry to APEC economies ranges from 60 days to 90 days (Mexico is allowed to stay up to 180 days), which is better than a single visa and more conducive to business contacts.
Cardholders can use the APEC Business Travel Card channel when entering and exiting airports in some countries to enjoy the convenience of fast customs clearance. At present, major airports in APEC economies are equipped with special lanes for APEC business travel cards (or in conjunction with diplomatic channels) to provide cardholders with fast customs clearance convenience.
Finishing / Hebei Daily reporter Wang Sida
correlation
It is more convenient for the paperwork to "go abroad".
The province has issued 3,750 additional certificates
"Since the Convention on the Abolition of the Requirement for the Authentication of Foreign Public Documents (hereinafter referred to as the "Convention") came into effect on November 7, 2023, the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office has issued a total of 3,750 additional certificates, including 3,561 civil additional certificates for citizens of our province and 189 additional certificates for commercial matters for enterprises in our province. Wang Tao, director of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office's Administration Office for Going Abroad and Hong Kong and Macao, introduced.
What is an additional certificate?
Wang Tao told reporters that personnel need "visas" to go abroad, and documents need to be "certified" when they "go abroad", whether it is an enterprise investing, operating, litigation, registering intellectual property rights abroad, or people going abroad to study, work, drive, and handle marriage registration, all of which will inevitably involve the cross-border flow of documents.
As an important international treaty with the widest scope of application and the largest number of States parties under the framework of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the Convention aims to simplify the procedures for cross-border circulation of documents, replace traditional consular legalization with a more convenient way of certification, and promote international economic and trade and personnel exchanges. China acceded to the Convention on 8 March 2023.
The core elements of the Convention can be summarized as "cancellation" and "addition". "Cancellation" refers to the mutual cancellation of the embassy or consulate authentication link between the Contracting Parties. "Additional" refers to the use of an additional certificate issued by the competent authority of the country issuing the document to replace the "double authentication" to confirm the authenticity of the seal and signature on the document.
"In the past, it took us one month to do consular certification for materials such as quality management system certification, but now we can directly apply for additional certificates through the provincial foreign affairs office, which is fast and the cost is also half. Ma Xiaohui, business manager of Hebei Xinle Medical Technology Co., Ltd., said.
It is understood that at present, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially authorized 25 provincial-level foreign affairs offices, including the Hebei Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, to issue additional certificates for foreign-related documents issued within their respective administrative regions, and authorized the Qinhuangdao Municipal Foreign Affairs Office to handle additional certificates on behalf of the agency.
According to Wang Tao, according to the existing number of foreign-related notarial certificates and commercial certificates in Hebei Province, it is estimated that the annual issuance of additional certificates in Hebei Province will be 15,000-20,000. Compared with consular legalization, the issuance of additional certificates can save 90% of the processing time for the circulation of documents used between Hebei Province and the States parties to the Convention, and according to the estimation of the issuance volume, the additional certificates can save 10 million yuan for personnel and enterprises in Hebei Province.
"The entry into force and implementation of the Convention will not only greatly facilitate the international exchanges of Hebei residents and Hebei enterprises to 'go global', but will also really benefit foreign enterprises investing in China and further optimize the business environment. Wang Tao said. (Text/Hebei Daily reporter Wang Sida, Sun Qing)
Pay attention to Hebei News Network to understand the latest news in Hebei.