China News Insights
Customs Clearance and Inspection in China
Import and export cargo clearance and inspection in China is controlled by two government authorities, namely China Customs, and the China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) Bureau. (i)&(ii)
China Customs controls import and export clearance, arrival and departure, duty collection, intellectual property rights protection, anti-smuggling, foreign trade statistics compilation, and other related functions. (iii)
CIQ supervises quality control, measurement, inspection of import and export commodities, entry-exit quarantines, certification, and standardization in China. Inspection also applies to people, the means of transportation, and equipment used for transportation. (i)&(ii)
In South China’s Guangdong Province there are 7 Customs Districts with a total of 84 offices. The Districts are Gongbei, Guangzhou, Huangpu, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen and Zhanjiang. (iii)
Main Customs Offices in the Custom Districts of Guangdong Province
The Da Chan Bay Customs Office falls under the Shenzhen Customs District and is responsible for supervising ocean imports and exports at DaChan Bay Terminals. The Customs Office at Da Chan Bay has an equal status as those at Shekou (responsible for Shekou, Chiwan and Mawan) and Da Peng (responsible for Yantian) which are also under the jurisdiction of the Shenzhen Customs District.
The Da Chan Customs Office is a separate and distinct office that falls under the Guangzhou Customs District. It is located at Da Chan Dao (Island) of the Pearl River Estuary and it acts as a mid-way station to supervise and inspect barge/feeder transportation between Hong Kong/Macau and West Pearl River Delta.
DaChan Bay Terminals (DCB) is the only container terminal in South China where customs in-spection for both reefer and general containers is performed inside the terminal gate. This ensures the safety and security of consignment handling and reduces the cost and time involved in customs inspection.
DaChan Bay Terminals is the first-mover for the new and simplified “Joint Declaration, Inspection and Release” clearance service offered by Shenzhen Customs since December 2012. The service has also been referred to as the “Joint Clearance Scheme”. Information used for cargo declaration is only entered once, thereby reducing both processing time and data entry errors. Re-handling of containers between inspections has been eliminated and overall processing time and vessel delays have been reduced. Customers using DCB enjoy a marked reduction in inspection delays and operating costs.
The Joint Clearance Scheme was implemented in all ports of Shenzhen in 2014.
Endnotes:
(i) Information about China’s Entry-exit Inspection and Quarantine System is extracted from Hong Kong Trade Development Council website,
http://china-trade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/Guide-to-Doing-Business-in-China/Entry-exit-Inspection-and-Quarantine-System/bgcn/en/1/1X000000/1X002LFU.htm
(ii) Brief presentation of CIQ, http://www.export2asia.com/blog/ciq/
AQSIQ is the General Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). It is responsible for the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) Bureaus. There are 35 CIQ offices in 31 provinces.
(iii) General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, Overview of General Administration of Customs,
http://english.customs.gov.cn/publish/portal191/tab34764/info189290.htm