Pingtan exit-entry inspection and quarantine bureau announced that it handled 4,714 batches of import and export cargo in 2015, worth $286 million, an increase of 95.1 percent year-on-year, according to ptnet.cn on Feb 28.

And 4409 of the cargo were imported, worth $268 million, a surge of 119.7 percent compared with last year.

Officials said that the boom in import cargo resulted from the preferential policies launched by Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, which gave strong support to local market and enterprises.

For instance, the Taiwan Town, a duty-free commodity market that sells Taiwan products, witnessed a boom of new stores in 2015. Its import volume exceeded $100 million last year, making it a major drive force for the county's import trade.

The import business of cross-border e-commerce sector also made a contribution, with the business volume reaching $20 million in the past year.

Another reason for the boom is the county's innovative measures in customs clearance. For example, it established a cross-Straits inspection and quarantine data exchange platform to greatly improve the efficiency of customs clearance of Taiwan products.