A number of new foreign trade regulations have recently come into effect both domestically and internationally, covering import licensing, customs clearance facilitation, trade remedies, product quarantine, and business operations.
Domestic Foreign Trade Regulations
October 1 – Customs Further Standardizes Bonded Cargo Leasing Supervision
When off-zone lessees complete purchase retention declaration procedures for leased goods, enterprises shall declare under the actual supervision mode, with the mode of transport being 'Bonded Port Area (Comprehensive Bonded Zone)' (Code Y) or 'Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone' (Code S), subject to customs unilateral statistics. Effective from October 1, 2023.
New Version of Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card to Be Issued from December 1
The National Immigration Administration held a press conference in Beijing on September 15, announcing the official issuance of the new version of the People's Republic of China Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card (hereinafter referred to as the 'Permanent Resident Card') starting December 1 this year, along with the release of the new card design.
After the new card comes into use, the current version will remain valid throughout its validity period; cardholders may apply for replacement with the new version based on their individual needs.
Continued Exemption of Additional Tariffs on 124 Categories of US Goods
According to the Ministry of Finance website, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council recently issued the Announcement on the Twelfth Exclusion Extension List for Goods Subject to Additional Tariffs on the United States.
The announcement states that from September 16, 2023 to April 30, 2024, the 124 categories of US goods listed in the appendix will continue to be exempted from the additional tariffs imposed as countermeasures against US Section 301 actions.
China-South Africa Customs AEO Mutual Recognition Officially Implemented
In June 2021, the customs authorities of China and South Africa officially signed the Arrangement Between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the South African Revenue Service on the Mutual Recognition of China's Customs Enterprise Credit Management System and South Africa's Authorized Economic Operator Program (hereinafter referred to as the 'Mutual Recognition Arrangement'), which took effect on September 1, 2023.
Under the Mutual Recognition Arrangement, both sides mutually recognize each other's Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs) and provide customs clearance facilitation for goods imported from each other's AEO enterprises.
Extension of Tax Policy for Cross-Border E-Commerce Export Returned Goods
To support the accelerated development of new business forms and models such as cross-border e-commerce, the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Taxation Administration recently jointly issued an announcement extending the tax policy for cross-border e-commerce export returned goods.
The announcement stipulates that from January 30, 2023, to December 31, 2025, goods (excluding food) declared for export under cross-border e-commerce customs supervision codes (1210, 9610, 9710, 9810) and returned in their original condition within six months from the date of export due to slow sales or returns shall be exempted from import duties, import value-added tax, and consumption tax.
Full Resumption of International Cruise Transport
The Ministry of Transport published the Notice on Fully Resuming International Cruise Transport on its official website on September 19.
The notice states that, building on the pilot resumption of international cruise transport at the cruise ports of Shanghai and Shenzhen, and following consultation with relevant authorities, it has been decided to fully resume international cruise transport to and from all cruise ports within China's territory effective from the date of this notice.
International Foreign Trade Regulations
EU Officially Begins CBAM Transitional Phase on October 1
Recently, the European Commission published the implementing rules for the transitional phase of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). These rules came into effect on October 1 this year, will remain in effect until the end of 2025, with formal levy starting in 2026 and full implementation by 2034.
The rules stipulate that during the initial transitional phase, importers are only required to submit reports on the carbon emissions associated with their goods, without any financial payment or adjustment required.
After the transitional period, upon full entry into force on January 1, 2026, importers will be required to annually declare the quantity of goods imported into the EU in the preceding year along with their embedded greenhouse gases and surrender a corresponding number of CBAM certificates.
US Extends Tariff Exemptions on 352 Categories of Chinese Imports and 77 Pandemic-Related Goods
Recently, the Office of the United States Trade Representative announced a further extension of Section 301 tariff exclusions on 352 previously reinstated categories of Chinese imports and 77 categories of COVID-19 pandemic-related Chinese imports, extending the deadline from September 30 to December 31 this year.
Enterprises and individuals engaged in relevant trade
are advised to stay informed of the latest changes!