At 4:20 am (Beijing Time) on Jan 23, Air China's CA166 flight from Melbourne, Australia, arrived at Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport. Onboard were live rock lobsters, ready for Customs clearance before entering the Chinese market.

This high-demand delicacy arrived just ahead of the Spring Festival holiday, catering to increased consumer demand during the festive season.

In fact, as early as 10 hours before the flight landed, the staff of a domestic importing company had already uploaded the required documents online, using a paperless system to initiate pre-clearance procedures with the Customs.

Customs officers pre-screened the submitted documents and determined the risk level of the imported goods based on their category, quantity and origin.

Around 10 am, the goods identified as requiring inspection were delivered to the inspection center and two Customs officers had already prepared for the inspection.

The process included verifying certificates, inspecting packaging and labeling, assessing the health condition of the cargo and checking whether the packaging materials carried soil or harmful organisms, said Zhu Qiying, head of the inspection unit of BCIA Customs, a branch of Beijing Customs.

Customs officers first verified the quarantine certificate, cross-checking details such as the place of origin, labeling, quantity and weight. They then opened the boxes to carefully examine the freshness of those Australian rock lobsters.

Using their inspection devices, they photographed and uploaded the information and within seconds the rock lobsters received their "identity cards", with the relevant data sent to the record system. The entire inspection process was completed within 20 minutes.

After gaining the greenlight from BCIA Customs, the rock lobsters were transported to Jingshen seafood market in Beijing's Fengtai district, the largest seafood wholesale market in North China, for sale.

"When inspecting such goods, we focus on whether there are any liquid leaks or whether the outer packaging contains harmful plant or vector organisms," said Zhu from BCIA Customs.

"Market demand for fresh products has increased significantly in recent weeks. We hope the goods can be inspected by the Customs authorities and hit the market quickly. Pre-clearance and paperless declarations have significantly shortened Customs clearance times," said Dai Yunyun, a manager at Beijing Yisuda Supply Chain Management Co Ltd.

To ensure the freshness of imported live products, BCIA Customs has established a green channel dedicated to such imports. This channel features an efficient inspection appointment system and round-the-clock Customs clearance services. Priority inspection and expedited release are provided to minimize the time these goods spend at the airport.

By noon, the rock lobsters were delivered to Jingshen seafood market.

"This batch of rock lobsters has already been pre-ordered and will be distributed to Hebei province and Liaoning province. The trucks will depart by noon tomorrow, and the lobsters will reach local markets the day after," said Zhang Wen, a seller at Jingshen seafood market.

From Dec 1, 2024 to Jan 20, 2025,2,262 metric tons of aquatic animals, seafood and fresh fruits were imported through the port of BCIA, with a total value of 233 million yuan ($32.16 million), representing a 91 percent month-on-month increase, according to Customs data.

In 2024, 11,600 tons of aquatic animals, seafood and fruit were imported through the port of BCIA, with a total value of 1.14 billion yuan, jumping 25.1 percent year-on-year, said Beijing Customs.