Laws of the People's Republic of China

General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, General Administration of Customs, Ministry of Commerce, State Forestry Administration

Announcement of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, General Administration of Customs, Ministry of Commerce and State Forestry Administration

[2005] No.4

For the purpose of preventing pests from overspreading internationally through commodities' wood packing, IPPC issued standards on quarantining measures of international plants item No.15--Administrative Regulations on Materials of Wood Packing during International Trade in March 2002, requiring to eliminate all pests of commodities' wood packing before export and mark special sign of IPPC on covers of commodities. Currently, counties like European Union, Canada, United States and Australia have adopted the standards, which will take effect in succession as of March 1, 2005. Gradually, more counties are probable to adopt the standards in future. For wood packing that fall short of international standards, importing countries or regions shall eliminate pests, destroy them or block them at ports of entry. In order to regulate the wood packing of commodities for exporting by the quarantining rules of the importing countries and regions so as to avoid loses, related requirements on wood packing of commodities for exporting are now announced as follows:

I.

Wood packing in this announcement refers to wood materials that are used for loading, packing, matting, upholding and reinforcing the commodities, such as wood block cases, lath cases, wood pallets, wood frames, wood drums, wood axes, chocks, stow-wood, crossties, crosser and so on.

Excluding the following:

Wood materials formed by intensive processing such as synthesizing, heating or pressing, such as veneers, flake boards, fiber boards and so on;

Wood materials less than 6mm thick such as sawdust, wood-wool and parings.

II.

All wood packing of commodities for exporting should be treated in accordance with the relevant quarantining measures and marked with special sign. General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine will announce the specific quarantining measures, requirements of marking and supervision provisions later.

III.

Administrations for entry-exit inspection and quarantine will take the responsibility to carry out selective quarantine on wood packing of commodities for exporting, and those that fall short of the provisions will not be exported.

IV.

Local institutions of entry-exit inspection and quarantine, customs, competent commercial departments, and competent forestry departments should strengthen work of propaganda and promote consciousness of service so as to help export enterprises to go through relevant woks and avoid economic loses caused by unconventional wood packing.

V.

This announcement shall take effect on March 1, 2005, and previous quarantining provisions on wood packing of commodities for exporting shall be abolished at the same time.

It is hereby announced.

General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine

General Administration of Customs

Ministry of Commerce

State Forestry Administration

January 13, 2005