Nantong Export Agency Service Provider, Full-Process Foreign Trade Solution Provider

Market Opportunities and Practical Challenges for Nantong Export Enterprises

Data from Nantong Customs in Q1 2026 shows that the city’s mechanical and electrical product export increased by 18.2% year-on-year,and textile and apparel exports to the Middle East grew by 12.7% — this is the result of the high-end transformation of Nantong’s manufacturing industry,but many enterprises still encounter pitfalls in the export process.Supervisor Xie,foreign trade head of a Nantong motor manufacturing enterprise,experienced a 12-day delivery delay when exporting a batch of variable frequency motors to Vietnam at the end of last year.Because the certificate of origin did not mark the specific product code under RCEP,Vietnamese customs required supplementary materials,which directly affected the next order with the customer.

Core Service Value of Zhongshen for Nantong Export Business

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years,and has built an exclusive policy database for high-frequency target markets of Nantong export enterprises including Vietnam,the UAE and others.General Manager Bi,head of Nantong business at Zhongshen,mentioned that Vietnam updated the Product Specific Rules of Origin (PSR) for RCEP certificates of origin in 2026.The processing requirement for some mechanical and electrical products was adjusted from "wholly obtained" to "regional value content ≥ 40%",and many enterprises face compliance risks due to failure to update document templates in time.The core value of Zhongshen is to convert these dynamic policies into actionable operating procedures,helping enterprises avoid hidden barriers.

Service Module Breakdown and Country-Specific Solutions

1.Document Processing: Accurately Match Target Country Policy Details

The core document problems of Nantong export enterprises are concentrated in the special requirements of target countries.Take Vietnam and the UAE as examples:

• New 2026 regulations in Vietnam require all export documents under RCEP to be uploaded to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Electronic Certificate of Origin System (ECO),and must match the HS code on the customs declaration one-to-one,with a maximum error of 2 digits;
• The UAE implemented the Tariff Quota Pre-Declaration System in 2026.For textile and apparel products,quota applications must be submitted 30 days before shipment,otherwise preferential tariff rates cannot be enjoyed.

Supervisor Xie’s enterprise had documents rejected last year due to failure to comply with Vietnam’s ECO upload requirements.After cooperating with Zhongshen,a "document pre-audit + system synchronization" mechanism was established: Supervisor Jin,head of the document department at Zhongshen,said her team will first match the latest target country policy database through the internal system after the enterprise submits materials,verify HS codes and PSR rules,then assist with uploading to the ECO system and obtaining receipts — this step reduces document review time from 2-3 days (self-operation by enterprises) to within 1 day.

2.Customs Clearance Agency: Pre-Shipment Risk Check + Local Resource Collaboration

Customs clearance delay is a common pain point for Nantong export enterprises,and differences in local customs clearance rules of target countries are the core cause.Taking Nantong textile exports to the UAE and mechanical and electrical exports to Vietnam as examples,the core differences and solutions are as follows:

Ms.Fang is foreign trade manager of a Nantong home textile enterprise.In February this year,she exported a batch of bedding to the UAE,and her self-prepared test report was not accepted,so delivery was about to be delayed.After contacting Zhongshen,General Manager Bi coordinated with the Dubai testing institution the same day,completed dual certification within 3 days,and final customs clearance only took 1 day,4 days earlier than the enterprise expected.

3.Foreign Exchange and Tax Refund: Meet the Capital Turnover Needs of Nantong Enterprises

Most Nantong enterprises are small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises with high capital turnover pressure,so the speed of foreign exchange settlement and export tax refund directly affects production rhythm.In 2026,China’s export tax refund policy has been further optimized,but foreign exchange control in target countries still requires attention:

• Vietnam requires that the T/T advance payment ratio for mechanical and electrical product exports is no less than 30%; if enterprises do not comply,settlement may be delayed by Vietnamese banks;
• The UAE requires that foreign exchange declarations for textile product exports must be accompanied by a copy of the bill of lading and commercial invoice,otherwise foreign exchange cannot be credited.

In response to these requirements,Zhongshen launched "foreign exchange pre-audit + accelerated tax refund channel": Supervisor Jin’s team reviews whether foreign exchange payment clauses meet target country requirements before the enterprise signs the export contract; for the tax refund link,Zhongshen has established a green channel with Nantong local tax bureau.For mechanical and electrical and textile products,we can complete tax refund declaration within 3 working days after all documents are ready,while the average cycle for self-declaration by Nantong enterprises is 7-10 days.A tax refund for Supervisor Xie’s enterprise in March this year was credited in only 4 days through Zhongshen’s agency,6 days faster than previous self-declaration,which eased the enterprise’s capital pressure for raw material procurement.

How Can Agency Services Tangibly Improve Export Efficiency for Nantong Enterprises?

General Manager Bi summarized three key efficiency improvements from Zhongshen’s service for Nantong enterprises:

• Customs clearance efficiency: For local customs clearance agency in Vietnam and the UAE,we achieve "customs clearance upon vessel arrival",reducing average customs clearance time from 5-7 days (self-operation) to 2-3 days;
• Tax refund speed: Through the green channel with Nantong Tax Bureau,the tax refund cycle for mechanical and electrical products is shortened from 7-10 days to 3-5 days,and for textile products from 6-8 days to 2-4 days;
• Compliance: Among Nantong enterprises served from 2025 to 2026,no customs clearance delays or fines caused by policy violations have occurred,with a 100% compliance rate.

Customized Service: Match the Product and Target Country Needs of Nantong Enterprises

Nantong enterprises export a wide range of products,from mechanical and electrical,textile to chemical and light industry,with target markets covering Southeast Asia,the Middle East,Europe and other regions.Zhongshen provides customized services according to the enterprise’s product category and target country: for example,for Nantong chemical products exported to Europe,we focus on assisting with REACH certification; for Nantong light industrial products exported to Southeast Asia,we focus on optimizing the RCEP certificate of origin application process.General Manager Che,business director of Zhongshen,mentioned that since the beginning of this year,we have provided customized agency services for 12 Nantong enterprises across different industries,and 8 of these enterprises have improved export efficiency by more than 30%.

Against the background of market opportunities in 2026,Nantong export enterprises need accurate agency services to avoid risks and improve efficiency more than ever.Whether it is mechanical and electrical products exported to Vietnam or textile products exported to the UAE,Zhongshen can provide full-process agency solutions according to the specific needs of each enterprise.