The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (GAQSIQ) recently issued an implementation plan of inspection and quarantine for the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone in Fujian, China's first pilot zone that is open to cooperation with Taiwan.

The move aims to facilitate the process of inspection and quarantine of imported products, and the plan breaks the traditional mode of inspection and quarantine in ten aspects, according to the Pingtan branch of the Fujian Provincial Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

Under the plan, the imported cargoes will be divided into two categories. Sensitive goods will be handled under the current management mode at the dock designated for imports or exports between Pingtan and other areas outside the Chinese mainland. The rest of the goods will be filed before going through the inspection and quarantine procedures at the dock for transactions between Pingtan and the Chinese mainland. Products made in Taiwan and processed in Pingtan will not be inspected.

In addition, the management of cross-Straits vehicles and ships will be less strict under the new plan. Direct vessels sailing between Pingtan and Taiwan will undergo low-risk inspection management and telegraphic quarantine. Entry formalities for Taiwan vehicles in Pingtan will also be simplified.

The third aspect involves exported goods manufactured in Pingtan which – according to the plan - will generally be exempt from inspection.

The fourth aspect concerns transit cargoes in Pingtan – which will not require inspection. Transit imported food from Taiwan will be filed.

The record filing process will be simplified for food export enterprises with a verification from HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) regarding food safety.

The sixth aspects concerns traditional Chinese characters will be allowed to be used on repackaged food and makeup produced in Taiwan and sold in Pingtan.

In addition, qualified imported used mechanical and electrical products will be exempt from pre-inspections.

A more convenient handling will be adopted for qualified CCC (China Compulsory Certificate)-free products.

A few special medical items will first be supervised and only later go through the approval process.

And the tenth aspect concerns admissible evidence– which will be adopted for Taiwan's certification and inspection.

The local inspection and quarantine office said that the above preferential policies will only be implemented in Pingtan, and an official added that the next stage will involve the Fujian Provincial Inspection and Quarantine Bureau?that will map out a series of detailed rules in accordance with the plan.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman