I.Core Process Decomposition of Import and Export Agency Operation

Import and export agency operation is the core link connecting foreign trade enterprises with the international market.From customs declaration to foreign exchange settlement and export tax rebate,the connection efficiency of each link directly affects the enterprise’s capital turnover and profit margin.Under the 2026 foreign trade environment,this process has been upgraded from single-link service to full-chain collaboration,and can be divided into four key stages: demand docking and scheme customization,customs declaration & inspection and logistics connection,foreign exchange receipt/payment and settlement,export tax rebate and follow-up.Each stage has clear objectives but also hides different risk points,which highlights the role of professional agencies.

1.Demand Docking and Scheme Customization: Accurately Match Enterprise Demands

The core goal of this stage is to clarify the customer’s import and export type (general trade/processing trade,etc.),cargo properties (dangerous goods/general cargo/fresh produce,etc.),timeliness requirements and cost budget,so as to avoid information deviation in subsequent links.Key actions include:

• Collectbasicmaterialssuchascustomer’scargodetails,tradecontractsandqualificationdocuments;
• Calculateimporttarifforexporttaxrebaterateaccordingtothelatest2026customscodeandtariffpolicy;
• Dockwithportandtransportationresourcesinadvanceforspecialcargosuchasfreshproduceanddangerousgoods.

Common problems: Some enterprises are not familiar with the newly added "cross-border e-commerce retail export" policy in 2026,and are prone to wrong selection of trade mode leading to blocked tax rebate; some cargo have increased customs inspection rate due to wrong code classification.

Role of Zhongshen in this link: Arrange Mr.Cui (Business Docking Supervisor) to provide one-on-one follow-up.Relying on 20 years of industry experience and combining with the latest 2026 policy database,it customized a "general trade + FCL sea freight" scheme for the machinery manufacturing enterprise where Supervisor Liu works.It also completed code pre-classification in advance,reduced the inspection rate from the industry average of 15% to 8%,and avoided increased costs caused by policy misjudgment for the enterprise.

2.Customs Declaration,Inspection and Logistics Connection: Ensure Efficient Cargo Clearance

This stage is the core operation link of import and export agency,aiming to ensure that cargo complete customs declaration and inspection within the specified time limit,and smoothly load/pick up.In 2026,Shanghai Port has implemented a number of new intelligent customs clearance regulations,which put forward higher requirements for the operation accuracy of agency companies.The comparison of specific links is as follows:

Common problems: Yangshan Port added "container overweight warning" in 2026,some enterprises cannot ship due to improper packing; food cargo cause quarantine rejection due to expired certificate of origin.

Role of Zhongshen in this link: Supervisor Lu (Head of Customs Declaration and Inspection) leads the team to audit documents in advance.For the food trade enterprise where General Manager Ouyang works,it completed the upload of electronic quarantine certificate in advance,and coordinated the warehouse to conduct pre-packing weighing to avoid overweight problem,reduced the customs clearance time from the industry average of 3 days to 1.5 days.

3.Foreign Exchange Receipt and Payment and Settlement: Ensure Capital Security and Efficiency

The core goal of this stage is to ensure that foreign exchange funds arrive in time,complete settlement in compliance,and avoid losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations.Key actions include:

• Openforeignexchangeaccountandreceiveoverseaspaymentaccordingtotradecontract;
• Completeforeignexchangedeclarationandsettlementproceduresthroughbanks;
• Provideexchangeratelockingsuggestionsforforwardsettlementdemands.

Common problems: Some enterprises have capital frozen because foreign exchange declaration information is inconsistent with the customs declaration; the fluctuation range of RMB exchange rate expanded in 2026,failure to settle in time leads to profit shrinkage.

Role of Zhongshen in this link: Relying on its own foreign exchange receipt and payment qualification,it provides "arrival notification + real-time settlement" service for the clothing export enterprise where Ms.Jian works.It also cooperates with banks to provide exchange rate fluctuation warnings,helped the enterprise lock the exchange rate and avoid about 3.2% of profit loss in the first half of 2026.In addition,the foreign exchange declaration accuracy of Zhongshen reaches 100%,and there has never been any capital freezing incident.

4.Export Tax Rebate and Follow-up: Accelerate Capital Withdrawal

This stage is an important value-added link of import and export agency,aiming to ensure that qualified enterprises get export tax rebate in time and improve capital turnover rate.In 2026,tax authorities strengthened the inspection of "separation of invoice and goods",and put forward higher requirements for the matching degree of tax rebate materials.Key actions include:

• Collecttaxrebatematerialssuchascustomsdeclaration,VATinvoice,foreignexchangeverificationsheet;
• Completedeclarationthroughtheexporttaxrebatesystem;
• Cooperatewithtaxauthorityinspectionandfollowupthearrivaloftaxrebate.

Common problems: Some enterprises have delayed tax rebate due to inconsistent information between invoice and customs declaration; some products fail to update in time after tax rebate rate adjustment,which affects the tax rebate amount.

Role of Zhongshen in this link: Arrange a professional tax rebate team (Mr.Cui’s team) to audit materials in advance.For the machinery manufacturing enterprise where Supervisor Liu works,it timely updated the tax rebate rate adjusted in March 2026 (from 13% to 16%),completed intelligent material matching through the system,reduced the tax rebate cycle from the industry average of 25 days to 18 days,helped the enterprise withdraw more than 2 million yuan of capital in the first half of 2026.

II.Core Service Value of Zhongshen

The full process of import and export agency operation involves multi-dimensional risks including policy,logistics and capital.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen achieves "accurate control + efficiency improvement + risk avoidance" in every link:

• Policylevel:Updatethelatest2026foreigntradepoliciesinrealtime,avoidlossesforenterprisescausedbypolicymisjudgment;
• Operationlevel:Compresstimecostofeachlinkthroughintelligentsystemsandlong-termcooperativeresources;
• Capitallevel:Ensureforeignexchangesecurityandtimelyarrivaloftaxrebate,improveenterprisecapitalturnoverrate.

For small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises,choosing a professional agency can not only reduce operating costs,but also help them focus on core business.Zhongshen is willing to provide full-process one-stop service for enterprises,and help enterprises develop steadily in the 2026 foreign trade market.