First batch of airlifted Asian Games competition equipment cleared by Ningbo customs

The first batch of competition equipment imported by air for the upcoming Asian Games has arrived in the coastal city of Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province, with the customs opening green channels to speed up the clearance process ahead of the sporting event.

The 19th Asian Games, which are scheduled to get officially underway in Zhejiang's Hangzhou City on Sept 23, will feature over 481 sporting events across 54 competition venues, with athletes from across the region bidding for glory.

Carried by a customs supervision truck, the first batch of cargo, which featured two sailboats belonging to the Singapore team, arrived at the storage points for inspection at around 09:00 on Tuesday.

Customs officers first checked the container seal and assessed the declared cargo information and, after receiving on-site confirmation, declaration hall staff soon cleared the cargo.

With designated personnel arranged at different sections, the whole process took less than 30 minutes.

"We have arranged dedicated persons at designated posts for corresponding services, so as to ensure a fast customs clearance of swift inspection and release," said Zhang Hua, a logistics monitoring section chief at Ningbo Airport Customs.

At present, eight batches of 89 items from the delegations of Thailand, South Korea and other countries have been cleared at Ningbo customs, and the customs will continue providing 24-hour green channels for upcoming goods.

The first batch of imported supporting equipment for the Asian Games arrived in Hangzhou by air and Ningbo by sea at the same time on July 20.