Laws of the People's Republic of China

Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce

Circular on Related Issues Concerning Automatic Import Licensing Administration

Shang Mao Jin Zi [2005] No. 42

To authorities authorized by the Ministry of Commerce to issue licenses to commodities listed in Catalogue 1 and Catalogue 3 subject to automatic import licensing administration, and various related import enterprises:

Notice is hereby given that:

In order to facilitate the Customs declaration of enterprises, as of December 25, 2005, license-issuing authorities shall begin to issue Automatic Import Licenses (excluding Automatic Import Licenses granted to vegetable oil) for the next year instead of Automatic Import Licenses for the current year. Import enterprises required to make declaration to the Customs by the end of the year shall be requested to collect Automatic Import Licenses for the current year before December 25.

From January 1, 2006, the Ministry of Commerce will exercise automatic import licensing administration over such six commodities as copper ore concentrates, coal, diethylene glycol terephthalate, vegetable oil, scrape steel and waste paper, and at the same time, cancel automatic import licensing administration over plywood boards, color photographic materials and chemical fabrics (codes of part of commodities) listed in Catalogue 1.

Various related enterprises shall, if importing copper ore concentrates, be requested to collect Automatic Import Licenses from accredited representative offices of the Ministry of Commerce in accordance with territorial jurisdiction; if importing other commodities, shall be requested to collect Automatic Import Licenses from competent financial departments of various provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, municipalities separately listed in the State plan and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Crops:

Since the first working day in 2006, authorities authorized by the Ministry of Commerce to issue licenses shall begin to accept, register and put on file the application filed by qualifying enterprises and importers on behalf of such enterprises for importation, for Automatic Import Licenses of soybean oil, palm oil and rapeseed oil. Where in 2005 having obtained tariff quota certificates of soybean oil, palm oil and rapeseed oil which had been shipped by the end of 2005 and were required to arrive in the early 2006, enterprises and exporters thereof may, from December 25 to 31, 2005, apply to the license issuing authorities (Beijing Enterprises under the supervision of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission shall apply to Quota Licensing Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce) for going through formalities of collecting new Automatic Import Licenses, with original tariff quota certificates and shipping notes. The valid period for changing new Automatic Import Licenses shall expire on January 30, 2006.

Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce

December 19, 2005