RESTRICTED

Spec(88)13/Add.12/Rev.1

12 March 1993

 

Original: English

 

 

 

 

 

WORKING PARTY ON CHINA'S STATUS AS A CONTRACTING PARTY

Communication from China

 

The following document, entitled "Updated Summary Document of the Existing Tariff and Non-Tariff Measures in China", dated February 1993, has been received from the Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China with the request that it be circulated to the members of the Working Party.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1Pages 1 through 4 are being circulated in the three official languages. The remainder of the document is in English only.

 

93-0313

 

 

UPDATED SUMMARY DOCUMENT OF THE EXISTING TARIFF

AND NON-TARIFF MEASURES IN CHINA

Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade

February 1993

 

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

This updated Summary Document is intended to provide comprehensive information concerning all tariff and non-tariff measures applied in China irrespective of their consistency with GATT rules and disciplines. For the sake of convenience in the consolidation of all trade measures, this document has been prepared on the basis of the H.S. tariff schedule at the 8-digit level.

This document is a revision of the Summary Document circulated on 30 September 1992, prepared in response to the request of Ambassador Pierre-Louis Girard, Chairman of the GATT Working Party on China's Status as a Contracting Party, who sees this exercise as an essential step by China to meet its obligation to ensure the transparency of its trade laws, regulations and policies.

It should be noted that China's trade regime has been in the process of constant reform, and this document reflects drastic changes having taken place since the submission of the Memorandum on China's Foreign Trade Regime in 1987. It can serve as the basis for future periodic trade policy reviews when China resumes its contracting party status.

 

EXPLANATORY NOTES

- An "X" indicates that the measure specified at the top of the column is applied; when a measure is not applied the corresponding columns are left blank;

- The column "Import Plan" refers to those goods subject to the state import plans;

- In the column "State-Fixed Price", an "E" stands for ex-factory price, an "R" stands for retail price, and a "P" for the state-fixed purchasing price;

- In the columns "First and Second Categories", the goods for import and export subject to the First Category are exclusively handled by one or several designated foreign trade corporations, while the goods subject to the Second Category can be dealt with by other foreign trade corporations and enterprises having overseas trading rights. Here an "E" stands for export and an "I" stands for import;

- For "mandatory inspection", an "E" stands for export goods subject to mandatory inspection, and an "I" for import goods subject to mandatory inspection;

- The column "Import Control", where applicable, refers to imports subject to administrative approval.

ABBREVIATIONS IN THE COLUMN HEADINGS

MFN Most-Favoured-Nation Rates

GEN General Rates

Imp. Lic Import Licensing

Exp. Lic Export Licensing

Imp. Plan Import Plan

Fixed price State-Fixed Price

1st Ctg First Category

2nd Ctg Second Category

Mand Insp Mandatory Inspection

Exp. Rts Export Rates

Imp. Ctrl Import Control

 

LIST OF ARTICLES PROHIBITED FROM IMPORT

BY THE CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

 

 

1. Various types of weapons, ammunition and explosives;

2. Counterfeit banknotes and counterfeit negotiable securities;

3. Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photographs, discs, movies, sound recording tapes, video recording tapes, laser discs and computer discs, etc. which are pernicious to China's politics, economy, culture and morality;

4. Various deadly poisons;

5. Anaesthetic drugs and spiritual drugs to which people can become addicted, i.e. opium, morphine, heroin and marijuana, etc;

6. Animals, plants and their by-products with hazardous germs or pests;

7. Food, medicine, etc. which are obstructive to hygiene and infectious, coming from epidemic areas;

8. Renminbi (except for those dealt with in accordance with currency contracts or agreements) and Foreign Exchange Certificates are subject to relevant regulations;

9. Industrial garbage and daily household garbage (including worn clothes);

10. Dibromoethane.