Flexographic Printing Plates Added to China’s 2012 Tariff Lines as Total Reaches 8,194

For flexible packaging and printing businesses, one tariff-line change in China’s 2012 schedule deserves attention.

Information from the Ministry of Finance shows that, after review by the State Council Tariff Commission and approval by the State Council, China will begin a partial adjustment of import and export tariffs on Jan. 1, 2012. New tariff lines include flexographic printing plates, stacker-reclaimer machinery, vascular stents and wireless earphones. After the adjustment, the 2012 total for import and export tariff lines rises from 7,977 in 2011 to 8,194.

Within this update, flexographic printing plates become an added tariff line alongside stacker-reclaimer machinery, vascular stents and wireless earphones, while the overall number of lines moves from 7,977 to 8,194.

Apart from the new tariff lines, China also made the following arrangements for import and export duties.

In 2012, tariff quota management will remain in place for imports of seven agricultural products, including wheat, and three chemical fertilizers, including urea; the three fertilizers will carry a provisional quota rate of 1%. A set quantity of cotton imported outside the quota will continue to face a sliding duty, and the sliding-duty formula has been adjusted so that a higher import price leads to a lower applicable rate. Specific or compound duties will continue for 52 products, including frozen chicken.

To boost imports and meet domestic economic, social and consumer needs, China will apply lower provisional import duty rates to more than 730 products in 2012. The average rate is 4.4%, over 50% below the MFN rate. These products fall into five main groups. The first covers energy and resource products such as coal, coke, refined oil, marble, granite, natural rubber, rare earths, copper, aluminum and nickel;

The second group consists of key equipment and components for strategic emerging industries, including equipment manufacturing, next-generation information technology and new energy vehicles, such as air-jet looms, turboshaft aero-engines, high-voltage transmission lines, camera modules for mobile phones, HD cameras and key dies for car body stampings. The third covers agricultural production materials, such as high-horsepower tractors, large harvesters, dairy processing machinery, breeding whales, pesticide raw materials, fertilizers and animal feed. The fourth includes daily necessities that encourage consumption and improve livelihoods, such as frozen sea fish, special-formula infant milk powder, baby food, skin care products, hair perming agents, tableware and kitchen utensils;

The fifth group relates to public health and includes vaccines, sera, cochlear implants and X-ray film. In addition, to support the flourishing development of socialist cultural undertakings and meet people’s cultural needs, 2012 adds provisional import duty rates for digital cinema projectors, original paintings of all types and original sculptures.

To expand multilateral and bilateral economic and trade cooperation and advance regional economic integration, and based on free trade agreements or preferential tariff agreements signed with relevant countries or regions, China will continue in 2012 to apply conventional duty rates to certain imports originating in ASEAN countries, Chile, Pakistan, New Zealand, Peru, Costa Rica, Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and other countries, with a broader product scope and lower rates. Under the Mainland and Hong Kong/Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangements, products originating in Hong Kong and Macao with established preferential rules of origin standards receive zero tariffs. Under the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, certain products originating in the Taiwan region of China receive conventional duty rates, including zero tariffs. Special preferential rates will continue for certain products from 40 least developed countries, including Laos, Sudan and Yemen.

To promote sustainable economic development and build a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, China will continue in 2012 to levy export duties, in the form of provisional rates, on high energy consumption, high pollution and resource-intensive products such as coal, crude oil, fertilizers and ferroalloys.

This article is adapted from a China Packaging Network (pack.cn) report. Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362110.html