2026 Version: Compliance Practice & Risk Warnings for Full Process of Plastic Bag Transit Trade in Lianyungang

Core Business Logic of Plastic Bag Transit Trade in Lianyungang

In 2026,the anti-dumping duty imposed by the EU on Chinese polyethylene plastic bags has reached 37.2%,and the relevant US tariff has even exceeded 49.8%,directly eroding over 30% of the profits of domestic plastic packaging enterprises.As one of the coastal ports in East China closest to Southeast Asia routes,Lianyungang has become the preferred landing node for plastic bag foreign trade enterprises in Jiangsu,Zhejiang and Shanghai to conduct transit business.

The core of this business is to use third-country transit (such as Thailand,Malaysia),replace full set of title documents,so that the goods can enter the target market as the origin of the third country,avoiding high anti-dumping tariffs.Different from the space shortage in Shanghai and Shenzhen ports,Lianyungang has 12 fixed direct sailings to Southeast Asia every week,which can provide stable logistics support for plastic bag transit business.

Core Scenarios for Business Adaptation

Currently,enterprises suitable for conducting plastic bag transit through Lianyungang are mainly divided into two categories: first,exporters that have been launched anti-dumping investigations by target countries; second,plastic packaging enterprises that plan to enter European and American markets but are unwilling to bear high tariffs.The products cover food-grade plastic bags,industrial packaging plastic bags,express packaging bags,etc.and the corresponding HS codes are mostly 39232100 (polyethylene transport packaging bags) and 39232900 (other plastic packaging bags).

Core Practical Links of Plastic Bag Transit Trade in Lianyungang

• Accurate HS Code Classification & Price Verification Response
• Compliance Handling of Third-Country Certificate of Origin
• Consistency Review of Customs Declaration Documents at Lianyungang Port
• Risk Prevention of Demurrage at Transit Port
• Compliance Settlement & Collection Guarantee

In the updated control model of the General Administration of Customs in 2026,the price verification weight of plastic packaging goods has increased to 42%,and the inspection rate of some ports has exceeded 15%.We once handled a case of a plastic packaging factory in Suzhou: when the enterprise declared on its own,it mistakenly classified food-grade plastic bags into 39232900,leading the customs to require more than 30 additional supporting documents,delaying customs clearance for 11 days.After adjusting the classification,with the provision of third-party inspection reports,it passed the inspection smoothly.

Pitfall Avoidance Details of HS Code Classification

The tariff difference between 39232100 and 39232900 reached 12 percentage points in the EU tariff in 2026; the former applies the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) tariff,while the latter needs to pay the Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff.The criteria are: whether it has food contact certification,and whether it is used for packaging specific categories of goods.Lianyungang Customs has detected a total of 17 cases of incorrect plastic bag classification this year,and all involved enterprises have been required to pay back tariffs and late fees.

Port Advantage Comparison & Practical Efficiency in 2026

The inspection rate of Lianyungang Port is 4.3 percentage points lower than that of Shanghai Port,the core reason is that the information exchange mechanism between local customs and transit ports is more complete.We will submit the pre-declaration information of transit goods to Lianyungang Customs 72 hours in advance,reducing control risks by more than 60%.

Practical Cases & Compliance Risk Warnings

In April 2026,a plastic bag export enterprise in Ningbo entrusted us to handle EU transit business.The enterprise initially chose to transit through Shenzhen Port,but due to space shortage,it was delayed for 7 days,generating $2,300 in demurrage fees.After adjusting to Lianyungang,we completed the following operations:

• Confirmed the product HS code is 39232100,supplemented with FDA food contact certification documents
• Applied for Thailand Certificate of Origin FORM E,and completed the third-country processing added value rate certificate (added value rate of 32%,meeting EU anti-circumvention requirements)
• During customs declaration at Lianyungang Port,communicated with customs in advance about control doubts,and provided third-party inspection reports
• Completed settlement through Zhongshitong compliant third-party account,avoiding exchange loss risks of offshore accounts

Finally,when the goods cleared customs in the EU,only 0.8% MFN tariff was paid,saving 36.4% of the cost compared with the original anti-dumping tariff,and the whole process took 5 days less than that of Shenzhen Port.

The core compliance red lines of current transit business include:

• The transit stay time in third countries must meet the requirements of the target country; EU requires at least 180 days,otherwise it will be identified as anti-dumping tariff circumvention
• Certificate of Origin must be issued by official institutions of the third country; use of agent-issued forged documents is strictly prohibited
• Declaration elements must be consistent with the actual goods; in the joint inspection of EU customs in 2026,19% of transit goods were returned due to inconsistent declaration elements
• Settlement accounts must have compliance qualifications; avoid using accounts without real trade background

Future Trends & Response Strategies of Transit Trade in 2026

In 2026,the tariffs of RCEP member countries on plastic packaging goods have been further reduced; plastic bags transiting through Thailand and Malaysia can enjoy dual preferences of RCEP and third-country Certificate of Origin.However,some target countries have begun to tighten the supervision of transit trade; for example,Australia has added traceability requirements for transit goods,requiring full-process logistics track proof.

In response to this change,we suggest enterprises to layout in advance: first,select transit ports with complete logistics traceability systems; second,establish simple processing workshops in third countries to improve the added value of goods; third,establish normalized communication mechanisms with port agents to predict changes in regulatory policies in advance.

As one of the few ports in China with both China-Europe Freight Train and ocean routes,Lianyungang will become a core node of transit trade in East China in the future.As long as enterprises make good compliance plans,they can use the advantages of local ports to conduct plastic bag transit business safely and efficiently.