. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/LIC/W/39 
11 October 2011 
 (11-4948) 
Committee on Import Licensing Original:   English 
  
 
TRANSITIONAL REVIEW MECHANISM
1 
 
Communication from China 
 
 
 The following communication, dated 10 October 2011, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of the People's Republic of China.  
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 IV POLICIES AFFECTING TRADE IN GOODS   3. Import licensing  
(a) Implementation of the provisions of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures and the 
WTO Agreement applying the measures set out  in Section 8 of the Protocol including 
provision of the time taken to grant an import licence      
  
 The present import licensing procedures main tained by China include import license 
administration, automatic import licensing and tariff rate quota administration.  
 
 Pursuant to the Law on Foreign Trade  (President Order No. 15 in 2004, G/LIC/N/1/CHN/4) 
and the Regulations on Administration of Import and Export of Goods  (State Council Decree 
No. 332 in 2001), Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued the Measures for the 
Administration of Import License for Goods , (MOFCOM Decree No. 27 in 2004, 
G/LIC/N/1/CHN/5) and the Measures for the Administration of Automatic Import Licensing 
for Goods  (MOFCOM Decree No. 26 in 2004). Based  on these rules, MOFCOM together 
with the General Administration of Customs (GAC) and other relevant authorities issue 
annually the  Catalogue of Goods Subject to Automatic Import Licensing Administration  and 
the Catalogue of Goods Subject to Import License Administration  in every second half of the 
year in the form of MOFCOM Announcement, wh ich will be implemented in the next year. 
These two catalogues list all the products subj ect to import licensing procedures except for 
those under Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) administration. 
 
 Regarding TRQ administration, the current applicable rules are the  Interim Measures on the 
Administration of Tariff Rate Quota fo r Importation of Agricultural Products (MOFCOM and 
National Development and Reform Commission Decree No. 4 in 2003, G/LIC/N/1/CHN/4 
and G/AG/N/CHN/2) and the Interim Measures on the Administration of Tariff Rate Quota 
for Importation of Fertilizers (Former State Economic and Trade Commission and GAC 
Decree No. 27 in 2002, and MOFCOM Announcement No. 59 in 2004, G/LIC/N/1/CHN/4). Based on these rules, MOFCOM and National Development and Reform Commission 
                                                      
1 Pursuant to Paragraph 18 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China 
(WT/L/432). G/LIC/W/39 
Page 2  
 
  (NDRC) issue annually the  Implementing Rules on the Administration of Tariff Rate Quota 
for Importation of Wool and Wool Tops , the Application and Allocation Methods of Tariff 
Rate Quota for Importation of Sugar , the Quantities, Allocation Principles and Application 
Procedures of Tariff Rate Q uota for Importation of Fertilizers , and the  Quantities, 
Application Conditions and Allocation Methods of  Tariff Rate Quota for Importation of Grain 
and Cotton  in every second half of the year in the form of MOFCOM Announcement and 
NDRC Announcement, which will be  implemented in the next year. Pursuant to MOFCOM 
Announcement No. 93 in 2005, TRQ administration for importation of soybean oil, palm oil and rapeseed oil was eliminated on 1 Janua ry 2006 and replaced by automatic import 
licensing administration.  
 
 The aforementioned basic laws, regulations, rules and announcements concerning China's 
regime on import licensing procedures as well as  other supplementary ones are consistent 
with the requirements of the WTO Agreement, including the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures. They are available in China Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Gazette 
and also accessible at the websites of the Ce ntral Government of China (http://www.gov.cn) 
and/or MOFCOM (http://www.mofcom.gov.cn). At present, on the basis of notifications of domestic legislation concerning import licensi ng procedures submitted under Articles 1.4(a) 
and 8.2(b) of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures and notifications of replies to 
the annual questionnaire on import licensing procedures under Article 7.3 of the same 
Agreement, China is studying on adjustments to be made in order to better fulfil the 
notification obligations under the Agreemen t on Import Licensing Procedures according to 
the new notification format adopted by th e Committee on Import Licensing. China will 
continue its work on notification and fulfil its transparency obligation pursuant to the 
requirements of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures.  
 
 
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