INTERIM REGULATIONS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THELICENCING SYSTEM FOR IMPORT COMMODITIES
Important Notice: (注意事项)
英文本源自中华人民共和国务院法制局编译, 中国法制出版社出版的《中华人民共和国涉外法规汇编》(1991年7月版).
当发生歧意时, 应以法律法规颁布单位发布的中文原文为准.
This English document is coming from "LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA GOVERNING FOREIGN-RELATED MATTERS" (1991.7)
which is compiled by the Brueau of Legislative Affairs of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China, and is published by the China
Legal System Publishing House.
In case of discrepancy, the original version in Chinese shall prevail.
Whole Document (法规全文)
INTERIM REGULATIONS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE
LICENCING SYSTEM FOR IMPORT COMMODITIES
(Promulgated by the State Council on January 10, 1984)
Article 1
These Regulations are formulated to strengthen planning and administration
of imports, and to upgrade the economic efficiency, so as to facilitate
the construction of socialist modernization.
Article 2
The People's Republic of China implements the licencing system for import
commodities. With respect to all those commodities subject to a licence
for import as stipulated in these Regulations, except as otherwise
provided by the state, an application must be filed in advance for
obtaining an import licence, and the import order for the required
commodities shall be handled by a company approved by the state to be
engaged in the import business of the said commodities. The Customs shall
give clearance against the import licences and other relevant documents.
Article 3
The Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade of the People's
Republic of China shall, on behalf of the state, be responsible for the
unified issue of the import licences. The departments of foreign economic
relations and trade at the provincial level may, within the scope of
competence prescribed by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and
Trade, issue import licences related to the importation of the respective
provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities directly under the
Central Government. The Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade
may also authorize its accredited representatives' offices stationed at
the main ports to issue, within the prescribed scope of competence, the
import licences.
Article 4
Various categories of companies that have been approved by the state to
engage in import business must handle the import business operations
strictly in accordance with the approved scope of business and with the
catalogue of import commodities. The goods, which are imported by the
national foreign trade corporations engaged in specialized import and
export business, or by import and export companies attached to various
ministries, or by import and export companies attached to various
provincial governments referred to by the term "companies" mentioned in
the preceding paragraph, shall, with the exception of those goods under
import restrictions imposed by the state, be exempt from the import
licences, and the Customs shall give clearance against the relevant import
documents.
All departments and enterprises without the approval of the state to
engage in import business are forbidden to import goods without
authorization.
Article 5
The goods which are imported in accordance with the provisions of the
state, and with the approval of the relevant ministries or commissions
under the State Council or of the people's governments of the respective
provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the
Central Government, for executing various agreements and contracts
concluded with parties from abroad for processing supplied materials, for
assembling supplied parts and components, for compensation trade, or for
contracting of construction projects, and which have not exceeded the
scope of the approved items, shall be exempt from import licences.
However, where the importation with respect to the compensation trade or
the contracting of construction projects goods under import restrictions
by the state; or where the materials or the parts and components or the
finished products after processing, imported for executing contracts for
processing supplied materials or for assembling supplied parts and
components are needed to diverse for domestic sale, an application must
filed for obtaining an import licence.
Article 6
In respect of the importation of goods under import restrictions imposed
by the state, irrespective of their forms of import, sources of foreign
exchange, and channels for import, the matter shall be submitted to the
competent administrative departments and the relevant examining
departments for examination and approval in accordance with the scope of
competence and limits of authority for examination and approval provided
by the state; and then, the ordering units shall apply for the import
licences by presenting the approval document.
The varieties of goods under import restrictions imposed by the state
shall be uniformly adjusted and made known to the public by the Ministry
of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade in accordance with the provisions
formulated by the state.
Article 7
The following imports, which do not fall under the scope of varieties
stipulated in the second paragraph of the preceding article, shall be
exempt from the import licences:
1. samples purchased or provided free of charge by foreign businessmen, in
the course of import and export business, by various categories of
companies which have been approved by the state to engage in import and
export business;
2. articles urgently required for professional usage which are purchased
from abroad at the international market price of 5,000 U.S. dollars or
less, by such departments as scientific research, education, culture,
physical culture, medicine, and public health, with the approval of the
Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, or the administrative
departments of foreign economic relations and trade at the provincial
level, or the accredited representatives' offices of the Ministry of
Foreign Economic Relations and Trade stationed at various ports;
3. machinery and electrical instruments and fittings urgently required in
production which are purchased from abroad by industrial or mining
enterprises at the international market price of 5,000 U.S. dollars or
less, with the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and
Trade, or the administrative departments of foreign economic relations and
trade at the provincial level, or the accredited representatives' offices
of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade stationed at
various ports;
4. commodities imported with the special approval by the state.
The Customs shall give clearance to the imported goods mentioned in Items
2, 3 and 4 of the preceding paragraph against the approval documents.
4 of the preceding paragraph against the approval documents.
Article 8
With respect to the goods purchased as mentioned in Items 2 and 3 of the
first paragraph of the preceding article, if they are bought at an
international market price that exceeds the prescribed limit, an
application must be filed for obtaining the import licences. If
departments or public institutions other than those mentioned in Items 2
and 3 of the first paragraph of the preceding article are to purchase from
abroad the urgently required articles, they must also apply for obtaining
the import licences.
Article 9
With respect to the goods and materials required in production by Chinese-
foreign equity joint ventures, if they cannot be obtained in the domestic
market, the aforesaid equity joint ventures may order them from abroad
through the relevant foreign trade companies, or the equity joint ventures
may, within their scope of business operation, import the goods and
materials by themselves. Matters concerning the scope of and the
procedures for the import licences shall be handled in accordance with the
provisions of Article 63 of the Rules for the Implementation of the Law of
the People's Republic of China on Chinese-Foreign Equity Joint Ventures.
Article 10
Under any one of the following circumstances, the Ministry of Foreign
Economic Relations and Trade shall not issue the import licence, or revoke
the import licence already issued:
1. goods the importation of which the state has decided to stop or to stop
for the time being;
2. goods the importation of which is not in conformity with the foreign
policy of the state;
3. the imported goods that are not in conformity with the contents of
bilateral trade agreements or the agreements of payment;
4. the imported goods that are not in conformity with the sanitation
criteria or the quarantine criteria for medicine, foodstuff, animals and
plants, agricultural products, livestock products, aquatic products, as
set by the state public health departments and the departments of
agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery;
5. other imported goods that jeopardize the interests of the state, or
that are handled illegally.
Article 11
To apply for the import licence, the applicant must present an official
certifying letter issued by a unit at the provincial department or bureau
level or higher, and submit also the certifying document indicating the
approval of the importation of the said goods by the relevant competent
administrative departments and the examining departments. The application
shall contain such items as the names of the imported goods,
specifications, quantity, amount of money paid, purposes of usage, the
country from which the goods are to be imported, sources of foreign
exchange, and the domestic units that shall conclude the transaction with
external units. The licence issuing department shall issue the import
licence after it has examined the application and found it to be in
conformity with relevant provisions.
In applying for the licence for import goods, the applying unit must make
the application strictly according to the facts and must not resort to
deception or trickery. Violators shall be investigated and punished.
Article 12
The term of validity of the import licence shall be one year. In the event
that within the term of validity the goods have not been imported, the
unit that holds the licence may make an application to the licence issuing
authorities for an extension of the term of validity; the licence issuing
authorities may, in accordance with the stipulations of the relevant
contract, extend the term of validity accordingly.
Article 13
In the event of a violation of the provisions of these Regulations, with
respect to the goods imported arbitrarily without applying for the import
licence in advance, the Customs may confiscate the goods or give an order
for the goods to be shipped back; where the importation has been verified
by the licence issuing department and the import licence has been issued
afterwards, the Customs may, at its discretion, impose a fine on the
violator and then give clearance. With respect to the forgery, alteration
or illegal transfer of the import licence, the case shall be dealt with by
the Customs in accordance with the pertinent provisions of the Customs
laws and regulations.
Article 14
Matters concerning goods imported by the special economic zones for the
use within the special economic zones shall be handled in accordance with
the special provisions of the special economic zones; matters concerning
the imported goods and the goods manufactured in the special economic
zones, which are to be transported to the inland of the country, shall all
be handled in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations.
Article 15
The Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade shall be responsible
for the interpretation of these Regulations; and the rules for the
implementation of these Regulations shall be formulated jointly by the
Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade and the General
Administration of Customs.
Article 16
These Regulations shall go into effect as of the date of promulgation.