Digital Trade Facilitation and Container Traffic: Evidence from the Electronic Single Window Rollout in the People’s Republic of China

We provide the first empirical evidence linking digital trade facilitation reforms to changes in port operations. Leveraging the staggered rollout of Single Window reforms in the People’s Republic of China (2014–2016), which streamlined customs clearance, we combine Automatic Identification System data on container ship movements with event study methods to identify causal effects. While effects on carried tonnage are positive but statistically insignificant, decomposition analysis reveals that the Single Window operates through a specific channel, without changing vessel loading conditions, ship size, and port processing times. To assess port responses, we analyze heterogeneity across vessel and terminal characteristics. Impacts are concentrated among smaller vessels and less congested terminals, with no effect on larger vessels and capacity-constrained facilities. These findings demonstrate that administrative efficiency improvements boost maritime activity through extensive rather than intensive margins, with ports accommodating increased trade demand primarily through higher vessel frequency.