12.09.2026 Regulation #EAEU #China #Import #Logistics #Trade agreements

EEC in talks to link China, Vietnam and Uzbekistan to EAEU transit system

The unified customs transit system for the Eurasian Economic Union and third countries took effect on June 29, 2026 (SeaNews), more than a year and a half after the underlying agreement was signed at a Supreme Eurasian Economic Council session in the Leningrad region on December 26, 2024 (EEC). Sergey Shklyaev, the Eurasian Economic Commission's Minister for Customs Cooperation, said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 4, 2026, that the system is open to countries outside the bloc and that the EEC is drafting information-exchange agreements with China, Vietnam and Uzbekistan (EEC).

How transit declarations change

Instead of separate national procedures at each leg of a route, the agreement introduces one set of tools valid across the EAEU and any acceding third country:

a single electronic transit declaration — one document and format instead of different paperwork at each border;
a single security (guarantee) covering customs duties and taxes for the entire journey;
electronic navigation seals that track cargo location in real time;
mutual recognition of customs control results between the customs authorities involved;
simplifications for authorized economic operators from the EAEU and third countries.

(Component list per the EEC's December 26, 2024 release.) In practice, cargo declared once at the start of a route should not require re-declaration and re-inspection at every internal border, since customs authorities exchange data directly.

What data-sharing with third countries brings

Third countries join through separate bilateral information-exchange agreements with EAEU customs authorities — a distinct strand of EEC work. Shklyaev said "significant progress in this work has been achieved with China, Vietnam and Uzbekistan" (EEC, September 4, 2026), adding that "exchanging information with our trading partners under uniform rules and in uniform formats will let customs authorities plan their resources in advance and ultimately speed up the movement of goods across the customs border" (same source). No signing or entry-into-force dates for these agreements have been announced. Uzbekistan had already expressed interest in the transit system when the base agreement was signed in December 2024, and other CIS countries and China were named at the time as potential participants (EEC).

What this means for carriers

The EEC is simultaneously upgrading border infrastructure in the Far East: on September 3, 2026, Shklyaev inspected construction at the Kraskino and Khasan crossings on the border with China and North Korea, where automated vehicle scanning by portal systems and number-plate recognition are being integrated into a single checkpoint information system (Alta-Soft). The stated goal is to raise throughput without weakening control, and to extend these practices across the whole Union.

For carriers and importers moving goods through the EAEU, the unified transit system already means less paperwork at the bloc's internal borders. Extending the corridor to China, Vietnam and Uzbekistan remains a prospect without an announced timeline — companies planning routes through these countries should watch for the specific data-exchange agreements, since those, not the June 2026 launch, will determine when transit there switches to the single electronic declaration and navigation seals.

Primary sources

This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice or customs consulting. Verify changes against the primary sources before acting.