(Photo/Ma Wei)

An all-cargo plane from Chicago arrived at Sunan Shuofang International Airport in the early morning of March 7, bringing 47.7 kilogram of imported medicine for AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical in Wuxi.

This marked the first business since Wuxi was approved to be China’s only city to have both an inland port and an airport as entry for imported medicine.

(Photo/Ma Wei)

After the landing of the flight, Wuxi Customs staff quickly boarded the plane for quarantine and disinfection procedures. Staff from Wuxi’s Market Regulation Bureau handled the receiving, reviewing and registration procedures. Five hours later, it was loaded onto a truck for delivery.

Wuxi, a powerhouse of biopharmaceutical industry in the Yangtze River Delta, is home to many well-known international companies, such as AstraZeneca, Fresenius Kabi, Nutricia, and Pfizer. In the past, the medicine was required to be transported to Shanghai first, then transported to Wuxi, a process that could take up to 100 work days.

In September last year, the State Council approved the airport and Jiangyin Port to import medicine. Local enterprises can handle import customs clearance procedures in Wuxi and also greatly reduce the costs. The city’s commerce and Customs authorities also formed a joint working mechanism to streamline the service.