BEIJING -- Beijing Customs have set up a special workgroup to speed up the customs clearance of imported equipment and materials for the construction of Universal Beijing Resort amid the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Under construction in the east of Beijing, the first phase of the project, which includes the Universal Studios theme park, the Universal CityWalk commercial complex and two resort hotels, is scheduled to receive visitors in 2021.

The whole project is designed to cover an area of 4 square km, of which the first phase covers an area of about 1.69 square km. Imports of equipment and materials needed for the building project are estimated at about 612 million US dollars.

"The workgroup plays a liaison mechanism between the customs and the project operator to ensure smooth customs clearance," said Zhou Zhongyang, deputy director of the commodity inspection department of the Beijing Customs.

Universal Beijing Resort announced in October last year that its Beijing theme park will have seven theme lands, including Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, Transformers: Metrobase, Minion Land, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic World Isla Nublar, Hollywood and WaterWorld. Each land will contain a mix of attractions, shows, shops and restaurants, according to the resort.

Many of the themed lands, such as Transformers and Kung Fu Panda, will be the first of their kind the resort has presented to the world.

Zhou said the building goods will be quickly cleared through customs to ensure the project construction.