China Justice Observer

中司观察

EnglishArabicChinese (Simplified)DutchFrenchGermanHindiItalianJapaneseKoreanPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedishHebrewIndonesianVietnameseThaiTurkishMalay

What Imports Are Prohibited or Restricted in China?-CTD 101 Series

Thu, 27 Apr 2023
Contributors: Zhao Jing
Editor: C. J. Observer

Contributed by Ms. Zhao JingHylands Law Firm. For more posts about China Customs Affairs, please click here.

This post was first published in CJO GLOBAL, which is committed to providing consulting services in China-related cross-border trade risk management and debt collection. We will explain how debt collection works in China below.

From the perspective of customs supervision in China, imports are divided into three categories: prohibited imports, restricted imports, and free imports.

I. Prohibited imports

The Chinese government will publish a list of prohibited imports regularly, on which all the goods listed are prohibited from entering China. In addition, some imports are prohibited by laws.

1. Goods on the list of prohibited imports

These refer to goods such as substances that damage the environment, endangered species or their products, and products involving personal safety.

2. Imports prohibited by laws

These refer to goods and packaging that violate the “One-China” principle, solid waste, animals, plants, products from infected areas, certain audiovisual products, etc.

II. Restricted imports

The Chinese government will publish a list of restricted imports regularly, on which all the goods listed must acquire import licenses or quotas before entering China.

1. Goods under license management

Importers must obtain import licenses before importing certain goods, such as dual-use items (sensitive items or precursor chemicals), endangered species, pharmaceuticals, toxic chemicals, gold products, and audiovisual products.

The licensing authority shall be China’s Ministry of Commerce or the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the People’s Bank, and other government departments, depending on the type of goods.

2. Goods under quota management

The imports, mainly involving agricultural products, within the quota will be reduced or exempted from duty, while goods beyond the quota will not be allowed to enter China or will be subject to higher tariffs.

III. Free imports

Most goods can enter China freely, except for prohibited and restricted imports. However, for the purpose of monitoring imports and exports, China has adopted automatic licensing to certain goods, which will automatically register the license.

 

Contributor: Zhao Jing

Agency/Firm: Hylands Law Firm

Position/Title: Partner

 

* * *

Do you need support in cross-border trade and debt collection?

CJO Global's team can provide you with China-related cross-border trade risk management and debt collection services, including: 
(1) Trade Dispute Resolution
(2) Debt Collection
(3) Judgments and Awards Collection
(4) Bankruptcy & Restructuring
(5) Company Verification and Due Diligence
(6) Trade Contract Drafting and Review

If you need our services, or if you wish to share your story, you can contact our Client Manager Susan Li (susan.li@yuanddu.com).

If you want to know more about CJO Global, please click here.

If you want to know more about CJO Global services, please click here.

If you wish to read more CJO Global posts, please click here.

 

 

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Contributors: Zhao Jing

Save as PDF

You might also like

China’s Wenzhou Court Recognizes a Singapore Monetary Judgment

In 2022, a local Chinese court in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, ruled to recognize and enforce a monetary judgment made by the Singapore State Courts, as highlighted in one of the typical cases related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) recently released by China’s Supreme People’s Court (Shuang Lin Construction Pte. Ltd. v. Pan (2022) Zhe 03 Xie Wai Ren No.4).

SPC Issues Judicial Interpretation on Ascertainment of Foreign Law

In December 2023, China’s Supreme People’s Court issued a judicial interpretation on the ascertainment of foreign law, providing comprehensive rules and procedures for Chinese courts, aiming to address difficulties faced in foreign-related trials and improve efficiency.