Export of Leather from 33 LDCs to Enjoy Zero Tariffs

According to the news released by the Ministry of Finance of P. R. China, approved by China's State Council and decided by the Customs Tariff Commission under the State Council of China, as of July 1, 2010, zero tariffs shall apply to commodities under 4,762 tax-items like leather originating in 33 least developed countries (LDC) which have completed the formalities in exchange of notes with China including Ethiopia.

The commodities include poultry, livestock, aquatic products, raw or primary processed agricultural products, minerals, medicinal materials, daily necessities, plastic products, leather, lumber, textiles, apparel products, glasswork, steels & their products, electro-mechanical products, and furniture.

Thus, China will become one of the developing countries opening their markets to the LDCs to the greatest extent.

According to the Ministry of Finance, based on the integration of the original zero-tariff treatment, the tax-item list of 4,762 zero-tariff commodities further increased some commodities with actual or potential export capacity in the LDCs in recent years.

In the future, China will continue expanding the scope of preferences based on the opinions and recommendations of relevant countries, combining the implementation results of existing measures.

According to the Ministry of Finance, with the full implementation of zero tariff measures, it will bring material benefits to the people of the LDCs, also beneficial to reduce import costs of Chinese enterprises, broaden our channels of import, promote the healthy development of bilateral trade, and further strengthen the friendly relations of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the LDCs.

The favored 33 countries are Ethiopia, Benin, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Djibouti, Congo (Kinshasa), Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Comoros, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Lesotho, Chad, Central Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, East Timor, Yemen, Samoa, and Vanuatu.

In addition, original preferential treatments shall still apply to the 8 countries with unfinished formalities in exchange of notes, including Angola, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Maldives, which will enjoy the same zero tariff treatments after completing relevant formalities in exchange of notes with China.