China to Adjust Tariff Regulations to Fulfill the Tariff-cutting Commitment in 2

From January 1, 2010, China will further adjust the import and export tariff, basically involving most-favored-nation tariff rate, annual provisional tariff rate, conventional tariff rate, special preferential tariff rate and the tariff items etc.

In 2010, China will continuously fulfill the tariff-cutting commitment to World Trade Organization, to lower the import duty on six commodities including fresh strawberries; implement tariff quota management on seven agriculture commodities of wheat, corn, paddy, rice, sugar, woolen, wool tops and cotton, and three fertilizers of carbamide, compound fertilizer and diammonium phosphate; continuously implement sliding duties and maintain the tariff rate unchanged on certain quantitative of imported cotton out of import tariff quota; remain to carry out 1 percent provisional quota tariff rate on carbamide, compound fertilizer and diammonium phosphate; keep on implementing quantity tax or compound duty and maintain the tariff rate unchanged on 55 commodities including frozen chicken. China's tariff general level is at 9.8 percent after this adjustment. Among them, the average tariff rate on agricultural products is 15.2 percent, and that on industrial products is 8.9 percent.

Until now, our commitments for tariff-cutting to World Trade Organization have completely fulfilled.

To accelerate the economic structure adjustment, promote energy saving and environment protection, and meet the demand of social economic development, China will carry out much lower annual import provisional tariff rate on over 600 commodities in 2010, including source products of coal, granite, phosphate ore and lazurite; basic materials or key parts of naphtha, chloroethylene, PC polycarbonate, micro-optics for light communications; public health products of infrared thermometer, human vaccine, blood plasma; daily necessities of hair wave-setting agent, home water purifier and home dishwasher; advanced manufacture equipments of high-powered engine, tea picking machine, and cloth liquid nitrogen processing machine.
 
In 2010, China will continuously take alternative duty and lower the tariff standard levied according to the quantity moderately; impose the export tariff in the rate of provisional tariff on oil, rare earth, wooden plasm, and billet; take export tariff on the fertilizer of carbamide and ammonium phosphate, and carry out different tariff rate in the off-season and peak season.

To expand bilateral and mutual economic and trade cooperation, China will impose conventional tariff rate which is much more preferential than most-favored nation tariff rate on certain commodities originated from ten member countries of ASEAN, Chile, Pakistan, New Zealand, Korean, India, Sri Lanka, Bengal etc. on the basis of Free Trade Agreement of China-ASEANA, China-Chile, China-Pakistan and China-New Zealand etc. and Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement.

Under the framework of Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement among mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, China will implement zero tariff policy on commodities that has the preferential criteria of origin originated from Hong Kong and Macau areas. Meanwhile, China will continually carry out zero tariff on certain commodities originated from the 41 least developed nations such as Laos, Ethiopia etc..

To meet the requirements of the development of since and technology, adapt industry and trade structure adjustment and optimization and strengthen import and export management, in compliance with the relevant principles of World Customs Organization, China adjusts part tariff items of import and export tariff by adding in hydroxylamine sulphate, Recombinant Human Insulin, food-grade acetic acid glacial and quick-consolidating permanent magnetic sheet etc..
 
After the adjustment, the total number of import and export tariff items increases from 7868 of 2009 to 7923, with the overall tariff level of 9.8 percent. Compared with last year, the scope of the conventional tariffs and the margins of preference are all greatly expanded.