China revises rules on used equipment imports

China revises rules on used equipment imports    The Chinese government has revised its regulations on the import of used equipment, according to a notice Friday from the trade law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.
   The revision of the 'controversial regulations' was effective from April 10.
   'The previous rules had imposed a range of restrictions, including pre-shipment inspection, that were strictly enforced in some circumstances,' ST&R said. 'The new, more liberal rules were announced by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the Customs General Administration (Customs) and the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and will apply to the importation of used equipment for purposes of manufacturing, research and development or exhibition.'
   The new rules include the following revisions:
   ' If the used equipment is only subject to the Import Automatic Recordation Regulation and not pre-shipment inspection, the importer may apply for an Import Automatic Recordation permit directly from MOFCOM’s local Electronic and Machinery Importation offices without going through the AQSIQ process and this permit process must be completed within five days.
   ' If the used equipment is subject to the Import Licensing Regulation and is less than 5 years old MOFCOM’s local Electronic and Machinery Importation offices must complete the review and approval process within 10 days.
   ' AQSIQ may waive the pre-shipment process for used equipment that it believes has reduced safety, environmental and sanitary risks based upon its review of the documentation.
   ' Pre-shipment inspection must be completed as quickly as possible if that process has to be conducted by a certified inspection service.
   Customs must provide the most convenient customs processes for used equipment importers if they are Class A and Class AA importers of record certified under Customs’ Enterprise Classification Program.