To ensure the success of the third China International Import Expo, the General Administration of Customs has outlined its initiatives for streamlining customs clearance and promoting trade facilitation. It recently released the Customs Clearance Notice for the Third China International Import Expo of 2020 and Facilitation Measures of the Customs for the Third China International Import Expo of 2020. The 14 facilitation measures are listed as follows:

I. To Issue Customs Clearance Notice and Provide Guidelines on Customs Clearance.

The GACC develops and publishes the Customs Clearance Notice for the Third China International Import Expo of 2020, the Restriction List for Inspection and Quarantine during the Third China International Import Expo of 2020 and the Prohibition List for Inspection and Quarantine during the Third China International Import Expo of 2020 in order to provide detailed guidelines for overseas exhibitors.

II. To Set Up Special Customs Office for CIIE.

The Customs Office for NECC, subordinated to Shanghai Customs, was set up as a normalized service agency to ensure customs supervision and service during the CIIE.

III. To Deepen Technological Applications and Create an Intelligent Supervision & Service Mode.

China Customs supervises and serves the exhibitors and exhibits in the CIIE through big data platform and information technology for cross-border trade management, and creates a new digital, intelligent, facilitative and integrated supervision and service mode for the CIIE.

IV. To Dispatch Personnel to the Site and Provide Customs Services.

During the CIIE, Shanghai Customs will send staff to the comprehensive service area of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) to provide customs clearance, supervision, consultation and other services.

V. The Organizer Will Furnish Tax Guarantee to Lighten the Burden on Overseas Exhibitors.

The National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. will provide the guarantee for duty and tax payable and present Shanghai Customs with the bank guarantee or tariff guarantee/insurance for the temporary exhibits at the import expo. Overseas exhibitors or its entrusted Designated Official Forwarders submit to the Customs with the Certification for Import Goods for the Third China International Import Expo of 2020 and the List of Import Goods for the Third China International Import Expo of 2020 issued by the NECC, instead of providing guarantee for each transaction.

VI. To Conduct Examination and Approval in the Nearest Customs for Better Facilitation.

For the inbound animals and plants and their products, food of animal and plant origin and the Chinese medical herbs that require administrative approval involving inspection and quarantine, Shanghai Customs and related Customs are authorized to handle the approval procedures in the nearest locality, and the relevant approvals shall be completed within three working days. In accordance with the principle of “facilitation and operability”, Shanghai Customs is entrusted to exercise the power of acceptance and examination on the overseas production enterprises of the imported aquatic products, dairy products and cubilose sold in the exhibition area, which are exempted from overseas on-site examination. After the examination, the General Administration of Customs issues temporary registration documents (temporary registration documents are only used in the exhibition area during the exhibition).

VII. To Set Up a Special Channel to Give Priority for the Handling of Formalities.

VIP channels, special customs clearance windows and special examination channels for inbound exhibits will be set up at the major ports for the import expo. Priority will be given to the handling of customs procedures such as declaration, inspection, sampling and testing, and release upon the completion of inspection will be conducted.

VIII. To Consolidate Supervision Measures and Extend the Temporary Entry Period of the Exhibits Under the ATA Carnet.

The useful experience of the supervision services on the previous China International Import Expos will be consolidated and promoted. The re-exportation period of the temporary entry of exhibits under the ATA Carnet shall be the same as the period of validity of the carnet.

IX. To Promote Access Negotiations and Expand the Categories of Imported Exhibits.

Quarantine access negotiations with participating countries or regions will be promoted, with the progress of risk assessment sped up. Support will be provided for the exhibition of agricultural and livestock products with acceptable risk levels to realize the trade with China, and expand the categories of imported exhibits.

X. To Simplify Supervision Procedures to Facilitate the Entry of Special Articles.

Participants of the CIIE are allowed to enter China with special articles (biological products) for personal use and only for the prevention or treatment of diseases with a doctor’s prescription or relevant hospital certification. The allowable amount is limited to one course of treatment according to the prescription or specification.

XI. To Simplify Inbound Procedures to Facilitate the Exhibition of Food and Cosmetics.

Pre-packaged food and cosmetics only for exhibition shall be exempted from labeling in Chinese and sampling inspection as well as verifying the record certificates of the consignees and consignors; those for trial in small amount and tasting can be assessed according to the food safety risk, and the samples can be taken for inspection before the exhibition and the Chinese label cannot be used; those for trial sale in small amount at the exhibition site can be exempted from labeling in Chinese.

XII. To Simplify the Export Procedures and Facilitate the Disposal of Exhibits after the Expo.

After the CIIE, temporarily imported exhibits (excluding temporary import under the ATA Carnet) being transported into the customs special control area and bonded supervision site (exhibited automobiles shall be transported into the customs special control area and bonded supervision site entitled of vehicle bonded warehousing business), the temporary import declaration shall be written off subsequent to relevant customs formalities.

XIII. To Support Bonded Exhibition and Sales, and Expand the Spillover Effect of the CIIE.

The enterprises registered in the Customs Special Control Area or Bonded Logistics Center (Type B) (hereinafter referred to as “the Area or the Center”) can transfer the bonded cargoes to the exhibition and sales venues of the CIIE, other than the Area or the Center, for exhibition, sale and other business activities after the guarantee for such bonded cargoes is submitted.

XIV. To Support Cross-border E-commerce Business and Promote Online-Offline Integration.

If the inbound exhibits listed in the cross-border e-commerce retail import list (2019 version) are allowed to enter the Area/Center after the exhibition, they can be sold according to the cross-border e-commerce online shopping bonded retail import commodity mode if eligible.

Click HERE to get full text of Customs Clearance Notice for the Third China International Import Expo of 2020 and Facilitation Measures of the Customs for the Third China International Import Expo of 2020.