Tianjin Municipality in north China has enhanced its international airport with a newly established entry inspection zone and multilingual services, staffed by trained personnel, to welcome foreign delegations attending the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.
The 2025 SCO Summit will take place in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, marking China’s fifth time hosting the event, and the largest since the organization’s founding.
To ensure smooth customs clearance for dignitaries and international delegations, a newly built entry inspection area at Tianjin Binhai International Airport was completed and officially accepted on Monday night. It is set to begin operations on Wednesday.
According to the Tianjin General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, the new inspection area covers some 2,150 square meters, more than double the size of the old facility.
The number of border inspection lanes has increased from 17 to 22, including four dedicated lanes for the SCO Summit and eight fast lanes, boosting clearance efficiency by nearly 30 percent. In addition to the completely renovated facilities and equipment, the application of a series of technological devices will further accelerate clearance.
"We have equipped our duty stations with smart inspection robots that can provide front desk guidance and policy consultation services, particularly answering common border inspection questions in English, Russian, and Arabic," said Fu Shuzhen, head of the No.3 duty team of Tianjin Airport Border Inspection Station.
In addition, to facilitate smooth customs clearance for special groups such as children, elderly individuals with mobility issues, and wheelchair users, the inspection site is equipped with intelligent clearance devices that integrate functions such as intelligent translation and automatic height adjustment, comprehensively enhancing the customs clearance experience for passengers of all types.
To ensure the efficient entry of SCO delegations, the border inspection department at airport border inspection station has closely coordinated with the foreign affairs office, airlines, and other relevant units to arrange special personnel to serve the foreign guests, ensuring that the attendees and delegations will finish customs clearance upon arrival.
Additionally, recognizing the linguistic diversity of SCO member countries, the Tianjin Airport Border Inspection Station has formed a multilingual support team to provide each delegation with bilingual services in both English and their native language.
"[We have learnt things] from basic conversation to specialized border inspection terminology, and from cross-cultural communication to handling unexpected situations. Besides, we have compiled and published handbooks containing background information on the humanities, geography, religious customs, and other aspects of the 26 SCO Summit participating countries, as well as foreign language conversation guides. These resources will ensure that attendees experience thoughtful and comprehensive bilingual services," said Li Yue, a police officer of the Tianjin Airport Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.
Tianjin airport upgrades facilities, services ahead of SCO Summit
