China question: How can I import products into China under lower tariffs?

The international perspective

The Chinese government views the adjustment of its customs duty rates or dutiable value of goods as an important tool for optimising Chinese trade, promoting economic growth and satisfying domestic consumption needs. This year, Chinese customs adopted lower temporary import duty rates for more than 730 categories of goods, which can be found in the 2012 Tariff Implementation Plan released last December by the State Council. The average import duty rate on these items is now 4.4%, which is 50% lower than the rates applicable to most favoured nations. This cut is driven by the government trend to support the development of energy conservation, IT, communication and other strategic emerging industries. It is also expected to help stabilise prices, promote consumption and improve people's livelihood while encouraging the development of public health, culture, sports and other social undertakings.

Following the same trend, substantially lower import duty rates for materials used for paper cutting, camera lenses, eyepiece adjustment devices and LED panels of 32 inches or greater went into effect at the beginning of April.