. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/LIC/W/25 
19 September 2005 
 (05-4118) 
Committee on Import Licensing Original:   English 
  
 
TRANSITIONAL REVIEW MECHANISM
1 
 
Communication from the People's Republic of China  
  
 The following communication, dated 16 September 2005, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of the People's Republic of China.  
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 Reference is made to the Committee on Import Licensing meeting scheduled to be held on 
28 September 2005 (WTO/AIR/2657), of which the Tr ansitional Review under Paragraph 18 of the 
Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of  China is on the agenda.  For the purpose of this 
Review, I hereby, on instructions from my author ities, submit relevant information as provided in 
Paragraph IV:3 of Annex 1A of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China. 
 
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Information required by Annex 1A of th e Protocol on the Accession of China
 
 
 
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 
 
Further to the information already provided to the Committee on Import Licensing pursuant 
to Annex 1A of the Protocol on the Accession of Chin a in the previous three years, China would like 
to submit the following information to the Committee for 2005, while situation remaining the same as 
2002, 2003 and 2004 will not be repeated.   
On 10 December 2004, the Ministry of Commerce promulgated MOFCOM Announcement 
No.95 of 2004 , to abolish import quota license administration on the last batch of products, that is, the 
35 machinery and electrical products as of 1 January  2005. Thus, China had faithfully implemented its 
commitment upon accession concerning elimination of non-tariff measures by fully abolishing all the import quantitative restrictions by 1 January 2005. 
                                                     
 
1 Pursuant to Paragraph 18 of the Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China 
(WT/L/432). G/LIC/W/25 
Page 2  
 
 For the purpose of administering import and e xport trading regime in a more transparent, 
fair, non-discriminatory and efficient manner after th e elimination of import quantitative restrictions, 
pursuant to Regulations on Administration of Import and Export of Goods , MOFCOM respectively 
promulgated, on 10 November 2004,  MOFCOM and GCA Joint Decree No. 26 which revised the 
Measures on Administration of Automatic Import Licensing  for Goods , and on 10 December 2004,  
MOFCOM Decree No. 27 of 2004  which revised the Measures on Administration of Import Licenses 
for Goods. In accordance with these two Mini stry Decrees, MOFCOM will continue to publish yearly, 
in form of Ministry Announcement, the Catalogue of Goods Subject to Import License Administration 
and the Catalogue of Goods Subject to Automatic Import Licensing Administration, which list all the 
commodities subject to import licensing procedures except for those under Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) 
administration. The regulations, decrees and announcements mentioned above demonstrate that China 
has been implementing faithfully its accession commitm ents with respect to import licensing as well 
as the elimination of non-tariff measures.  
As for commodities under TRQ administration , there have been no changes since last year.  
Hereinbefore, the context gives a brief descrip tion of changes to the legislation framework 
on administration of import licensing procedures since 2004 in China. All the laws, regulations, 
decrees and announcements mentioned above can be found in China Foreign Trade and Economic 
Cooperation Gazette  and can also be obtained at the website of MOFCOM 
(WWW.MOFCOM.GOV.CN
). We will update the information relating to China’s import licensing 
procedures through notification obligations under the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures and 
provision of Annex 1A informa tion required by the Protocol on the Accession of the People’s 
Republic of China to the WTO.  
 
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