[Imports Management ] Draft rule set to limit packaging

     Products with more than three layers of packaging or those that occupy less than 45 percent of package space will be banned if a draft regulation is passed as law.

     Such products can neither be produced nor sold in the country, says the draft, put up for public hearing yesterday.

     The packaging cost should not exceed 15 percent of the product's price, says the draft, prepared jointly by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and the National Development and Reform Commission, the nation's highest planning body.

       The regulation will apply to all goods produced and sold in the country and the imported ones.

People and firms that make or sell such products face fines of up to 50,000 yuan (US$7,300). To ensure that producers and retailers do not get away with violations, the draft makes it mandatory for all producers to maitain records for packaging of their products.

       The draft is part of the State Council's legislative agenda and will be submitted to the State Council soon this year.