THE STATE COUNCIL DECIDES TO EXTEND THEIMPORT-DUTY EXEMPTION PERIOD FOR IMPORTS OF EQUIPMENT AND RAW MATERIALS BY ENTERPRISES WITH FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Recently the State Council decided to extend the period ofduty exemption for imports of equipment and raw materials by foreign-invested enterprises below US$30 million.In order to administrate import and export activities in light ofinternational practice and apply a unified, fair and standardizedpolicy toward import duties, the State Council, on December28,1995, decided to reform and adjust the policies of import duties by fairly significant reduction of the overall import tariff leveland elimination of preferences of import-duty exemption for mostimport items, which was also applicable to imports of equipmentand raw materials by foreign-invested enterprises set up since April1st, 1996. At the same time, with a view to maintaining the policycontinuity and relative stability, those enterprises established before March 31, 1996 were allowed an extended duty-exemptionperiod of one to two years for importation of equipment and rawmaterials(referring to construction materials, etc.) if such importswere below the value of their total investments, and for

NEW REGULATIONS ON IMPORT AND EXPORT MANAGEMENT RIGHTS GRANTED TO COMMERCIAL AND MATERIAL SUPPLY ENTERPRISES

With the approval of the State Council, State Economicand Trade Commission, Ministry of Foreign Trade and EconomicCooperation and Ministry of Internal Trade recently issued theCircular Regarding Some Relevant Issues in Granting Import andExport Management Rights to Commercial and Material SupplyEnterprises. It means that work ofgranting import and exportmanagement rights has from a trial been led onto the right path ofexamination and approval. The principle of examination and ap-proval, conditions, and the procedure of reporting to a higher in-stitution shall still be in conformity with the relevant regulationsprescribed in Decree No.76 (1993) of the State Council.In November 1993, the State Council approved and trans-mitted Opinions on Experiment of Granting Import and ExportManagement Rights to Some Commercial and Material Enterprisesby State Economic and Trade Commision, Ministry of ForeignTrade and Economic Cooperation and Ministry of Internal Trade.Totaling 206 commercial (including grain and supply and sale)and material supply enterprises are put to trial and granted