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MEASURES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF COMMERCIAL FRANCHISES

The Ministry of Commerce

Measures for the Administration of Commercial Franchises

Order No. 25 [2004] of the Ministry of Commerce

December 30, 2004

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1

With a view of regulating the commercial franchise acts, protecting the lawful rights and interests of the parties and promoting the
healthy and orderly development of commercial franchises, the present Measures are formulated.

Article 2

For the purpose of the present Measures, the term “commercial franchise” (hereinafter referred to as the franchising) shall refer
to that a franchiser confers business resources at his disposal on a franchisee such as trademark, trade name or business pattern,
etc. by signing a contract, and the franchisee undertakes business activities under the uniform business system as stipulated by
the contract and pay franchising fees to the franchiser.

Article 3

The present Measures shall be applicable to the franchise activities carried out within the territory of the People’s Republic of
China.

Article 4

A franchiser may, according to the contractual stipulations, confer franchising right directly on a franchisee. The franchisee may
invest to establish franchised businesses to carry out business activities, but shall not confer the franchise on anyone else. It
may also confer the exclusive franchising right within a certain region on a franchisee, and the franchisee may re-confer the franchise
on other applicants or may establish franchised business of his own within the region.

Article 5

Where franchised business is carried out, the laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China shall be followed, the principles
of free will, fairness, honesty and good faith shall be observed and the lawful rights and interests of consumers may not be damaged.

No franchiser may undertake illegal pyramid selling activities in the name of franchising.

No franchiser may result in market monopoly or obstruct fair competition when undertaking business activities in the way of franchising.

Article 6

The Ministry of Commerce shall conduct supervision over and administration on franchising activities nationwide, and the competent
departments of commerce at all levels shall conduct supervision over and administration on the franchise activities within their
respective jurisdiction.

Chapter II Parties to a Franchise

Article 7

A franchiser shall have the following conditions:

1.

Being a lawfully established enterprise or other economic organization;

2.

Having such business resources at his disposal on a franchisee as trademark, trade name or mode of business operation on other people;

3.

Being able to provide the franchisee with long-term business guidance and training services;

4.

Having at least two direct sales stores that have been undertaking the business for more than a year or direct sales stores established
by its subsidiary companies or its holding companies within the territory of China;

5.

In the case of a franchising that requires the franchiser’s provision of goods, having a stable supply system that can ensure the
quality of the goods and provide the relevant services; and

6.

Having good credit standing, without any record of undertaking activities of fraud by ways of franchising.

Article 8

A franchisee shall have the following conditions:

1.

Being a lawfully established enterprise or other economic organization; and

2.

Having the capital, fixed place and personnel that correspond to the franchising.

Article 9

A franchiser shall enjoy the following rights:

1.

For the sake of guaranteeing the uniformity of the franchise system and the consistency of the quality of products and services, supervising
over the business activities of franchisees according to the contractual stipulations;

2.

Disqualifying, in accordance with the contractual stipulations from franchised business operations, the franchisee that infringes
upon the lawful rights and interests of the franchiser or damages the franchise system in violation of the franchise contract;

3.

Collecting franchising fees and deposit as stipulated in the contract; and

4.

Other rights as stipulated in the contract.

Article 10

A franchiser shall fulfill the following obligations:

1.

Disclosing information in time in accordance with relevant provisions of the present Measures;

2.

Conferring the franchising right on a franchisee and providing the business symbol and business handbooks that stand for the franchising
system;

3.

Providing guidance, training and other services in sales, business or technology necessary for a franchisee to carry out franchising
business;

4.

Providing goods supply for a franchisee pursuant to the contractual stipulations. Except for the monopolized commodities and goods
that shall be provided by a franchiser or a supplier designated by the franchiser for guaranteeing the quality of the franchise,
a franchiser shall not force any franchisee to accept his supply of goods, but may prescribe the quality standard of the goods, or
put forward several suppliers for the franchisee to choose;

5.

A franchiser shall be responsible for ensuring the quality of the products of any supplier designated by him;

6.

The sales promotion, advertising and publicity as stipulated in the contract; and

7.

Other obligations as stipulated in the contract.

Article 11

A franchisee shall enjoy the following rights:

1.

Obtaining to use such business resources as the trademark, trade name or business pattern authorized by the franchiser;

2.

Obtaining training and guidance provided by the franchiser;

3.

Obtaining goods supply provided or arranged by the franchiser in time according to the price stipulated in the contract;

4.

Obtaining the support of sales promotion uniformly carried out by the franchiser; and

5.

Other rights as stipulated by the contract.

Article 12

A franchisee shall perform the following obligations:

1.

Carrying out business activities pursuant to the contractual stipulations;

2.

Paying franchising fees and deposit;

3.

Maintaining the uniformity of the franchise system, and not further conferring the franchising right without permission of the franchiser;

4.

Providing authentic business conditions, financial status and other information as stipulated in the contract to the franchiser in
time;

5.

Accepting the franchiser’s guidance and supervision;

6.

Keeping the franchiser’s business secrets; and

7.

Other obligations as stipulated in the contract.

Chapter III Franchising Contract

Article 13

A franchising contract shall be concluded by the parties concerned, and shall cover the following items in general:

1.

The names and domiciles of the parties concerned;

2.

The contents, time limit, place for authorizing the use of a franchising right and whether or not such right is exclusive;

3.

The type, amount, ways of payment of franchising fees and the ways of collecting and refunding deposit;

4.

Confidential clauses;

5.

The quality control of the franchising products or services and the liabilities thereof;

6.

Training and guidance;

7.

The use of trade name;

8.

The use of trademarks and other intellectual properties;

9.

Consumers’ complaints;

10.

Publicity and advertising;

11.

Alteration and rescission of the contract;

12.

Liabilities for breach of the contract;

13.

Dispute resolution clauses; and

14.

Other clauses as stipulated by both parties.

Article 14

The franchising fees shall refer to the fees paid by a franchisee for obtaining a franchising right, including the following several
types:

1.

Membership fees: referring to the fees paid once for all by a franchisee to a franchiser for obtaining a franchising right;

2.

Usage fees: referring to fees paid by a franchisee to a franchiser in light of a certain standard or proportion periodically in the
process of using a franchising right; and

3.

Other stipulated fees: referring to other fees paid by a franchisee to a franchiser for obtaining the relevant goods supply or services
provided by the franchiser pursuant to the contractual stipulations.

The deposit means a certain sum of money collected by a franchiser from a franchisee for the purpose of guaranteeing the franchisee’s
fulfilling of the franchise contract. After the expiry of the contract, the deposit shall be returned to the franchisee.Both parties
to a franchise shall determine the franchising fees and deposit through negotiation in light of the principles of fairness and reasonableness.

Article 15

The term of a franchise contract shall not be less than three years in general.

After the expiry of a franchising contract, the franchiser and franchisee may determine the conditions for renewing the franchising
contract through negotiation in light of the principles of fairness and reasonableness.

Article 16

After the termination of a franchise contract, the former franchisee may not use the registered trademark, trade name or other marks
of a franchiser any longer without the consent of the franchiser, and may not apply for registration of the registered trademark
of the franchiser as the trademarks for similar types of commodities or services, may not apply for registration of the letters that
are identical or similar to the registered trademark of the franchiser as a portion of the trade name of the enterprise, and may
not use the symbol that is identical or similar to the registered trademark, trade name or upholstery of shops in identical or similar
commodities or services.

Chapter IV Information Disclosure

Article 17

A franchiser and a franchisee shall disclose relevant information in time before signing a franchise contract and in the process of
franchised business operations.

Article 18

A franchiser shall provide authentic and accurate basic information and other materials concerning the franchised business operations
and the text of franchise contract in written form 20 days prior to signing a formal franchising contract.

Article 19

The basic information disclosed by a franchiser shall include the following contents:

1.

The name, domiciles, registered capital, business scope of and time limit for undertaking franchised business operations of the franchiser
and other major matters concerned as well as the contents of financial reports audited by an accounting firms and tax payment and
other basic conditions;

2.

The number and location of franchisees, their business conditions and the investment budget form of franchised stores, the proportion
of the franchisees who have rescinded franchise contract in the total franchisees;

3.

The conditions on registration, licensed use and lawsuits of a trademark; information about other business resources such as trade
name and business pattern;

4.

The kinds, amounts and ways of collecting franchising fees and the ways of refunding deposits;

5.

The conditions on lawsuits during the recent five years;

6.

The supply of various goods or services that may be provided to a franchisee and the additional conditions and restrictions, etc.;

7.

The certification for the ability to provide training and guidance to a franchisee and the reality for providing such training or
guidance;

8.

The basic information of the legal representative and other main responsible persons, and whether they have any record of criminal
punishment and whether they are personally liable for the bankruptcy of any enterprise, etc.; and

9.

Other information or materials that shall be disclosed by a franchiser upon the request of the franchisee.

In case a franchisee suffers from any economic loss due to insufficient information disclosure or false information provided by a
franchiser, the franchiser shall undertake compensation liabilities.

Article 20

A franchisee shall provide the relevant materials concerning his operation capacity according to the facts upon the request of a franchiser,
including qualification certificate of the subject, certificate of credit standing, certificate of ownership, etc.. During the process
of franchised operations, the franchisee shall provide authentic operation conditions and other materials as stipulated in the contract
in time as required by the franchiser.

Article 21

During the period of franchised operations and after the termination of the franchise contract, a franchisee and his employees shall
not disclose, use or allow others to use the franchiser’s business secrets he holds without the consent of the franchiser.

Article 22

Any person or applicant, who does not sign a franchising contract with a franchiser but knows his business secrets through information
disclosure of the franchiser, shall be obliged to keep such secrets, and shall not divulge or disclose or transfer the business secrets
of the franchiser to others without the consent of the franchiser.

Chapter V Advertising and Publicity

Article 23

When a franchiser publicizes, does sales promotion and sells any franchising right, the contents of advertising and publicity shall
be accurate, authentic and lawful, and shall not be fraudulent, omit major facts or have any statements that are misleading.

Article 24

The records, numbers or other relevant materials relating to business income or proceeds of a franchiser directly or indirectly contained
in the advertising and publicity materials of a franchiser and a franchisee shall be authentic, and the region and time involved
shall be clear.

Article 25

No franchiser or franchisee may imitate the trademark, advertising pictures and expressions or other distinctive marks of others by
any way that may be misleading, deceiving or may result in confusion.

Article 26

In the promotion activities of franchised operation, a franchiser shall not exaggerate the interests brought about by the franchise
or purposely conceal the conditions that the franchising may objectively affect the interests of any other person.

Chapter VI Supervision and Administration

Article 27

The competent departments of commerce at all levels shall strengthen the administration and coordination on the franchising activities
within their respective administrative district, and guide the local industry association (or chamber of commerce) to carry out their
work.

The competent departments of commerce at all levels shall establish credit records for franchisers and franchisees, and timely announce
the name lists of rule-breaking enterprises.

Article 28

The franchising industry association (or chamber of commerce) shall formulate industrial criterions according to the present Measures,
and carry out self-discipline of the industry so as to provide relevant services for the franchising parties and advance the development
of the industry.

Article 29

In January each year, a franchiser shall report the situation on the franchise contract signed in the previous years to the competent
departments of commerce at his locality and at the locality of the franchisee for archival filing. The local competent departments
of commerce shall submit the archival filing situation to the upper level competent department of commerce.

Article 30

Where a patent license is involved in any franchising activity, a patent licensing contract shall be signed in light of the relevant
provisions of the Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China and its detailed implementation rules, and the archival filing shall
be made in light of the provisions of the Measures for the Administration of Archival Filing of Patent Licensing Contracts.

Article 31

Prior to undertaking franchised operational activities, a franchiser shall make archival filing of the franchise contract for the
use of trademarks in accordance with the provisions of the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China and its detailed implementation
rules.

Chapter VII Special Provisions on Foreign-funded Enterprises

Article 32

No foreign-funded enterprise may engage in any business in the prohibition categories of the Catalogue of Industries for Guiding Foreign
Investment by ways of franchising.

Article 33

Where a foreign-funded enterprise undertakes business activities by way of franchising, it shall apply for expanding the business
scope of “carrying out business activities by way of franchising” to the original department of examination and approval, and submit
the following materials:

1.

An application and the decision of the Board of Directors;

2.

The business license of the enterprise and the certificate of approval for the foreign-funded enterprise (photocopy);

3.

Agreement for the amendment of contract and articles of associations (for wholly foreign-owned enterprises, only the amendment on
articles of associations is to be submitted);

4.

The relevant documents and materials that are proved to comply with the provisions of Article 7 of the present Measures;

5.

The basic information and materials as required by Article 19 of the present Measures;

6.

Sample text of the franchising contract; and

7.

Handbook for franchised operation.

The department of examination and approval shall make a written decision on whether or not to grant approval within 30 days after
receiving all of the aforesaid application materials.

After an applicant gets approval, it shall go through the formalities for alteration of enterprise registration at the administrative
department for industry and commerce within one month after obtaining the Certificate of Approval for Foreign-funded Enterprises
altered and granted by the department of examination and approval.

Article 34

Where a foreign-funded enterprise undertakes business activities by way of franchising upon approval, it shall report the situation
on franchise contracts signed in the previous year to the former department of examination and approval and to the competent department
of commerce at the locality of the franchisee for archival filing in January each year.

Article 35

Where a foreign investor establishes any foreign-funded enterprise that engages exclusively in business activities by way of franchising,
it shall, apart from complying with the present Measures, accord with the relevant provisions in laws, regulations and rules concerning
foreign-funded enterprises.

Article 36

Any foreign-funded enterprise, which has been undertaking business activities by ways of franchising before the implementation of
the present Measures, shall report the situation on the business which has been carried out to the former department of examination
and approval. If it continues to undertake business activities by way of franchising, it shall go through the relevant formalities
by following the procedures as prescribed in this Chapter.

Article 37

The provisions of the present Chapter shall be followed by enterprises invested by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan investors that undertake
business activities by way of franchising.

Chapter VIII Legal Liabilities

Article 38

Where anyone violates the provisions of Article 7 or 8 of the present Measures, the competent department of commerce shall order
it to make corrections, and may impose on it a fine of less than RMB 30,000 Yuan simultaneously; in case the circumstances are serious,
it shall be transferred to the administrative department for industry and commerce to revoke its business license.

Article 39

Where anyone fails to disclose information according to the present Measures, the competent department of commerce shall order it
to make corrections and may impose on it a fine of less than RMB 30,000 Yuan simultaneously; in case the circumstances are serious,
it shall be transferred to the administrative department for industry and commerce to revoke its business license.

Article 40

Where a franchiser makes advertising publicity in violation of the present Measures, he shall be punished in accordance with the provisions
of the Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant laws, administrative regulations and rules.

Chapter IX Supplementary Provisions

Article 41

The power to interpret the present Measures shall be vested in the Ministry of Commerce.

Article 42

The present Measures shall be implemented as of February 1st, 2005, and the Measures for the Administration of Franchised Commercial
Operations (for Trial Implementation) as promulgated by the former Ministry of Domestic Trade shall be abolished simultaneously.



 
The Ministry of Commerce
2004-12-30

 







MEASURES ON GOVERNING INSURANCE PROTECTION FUND

China Insurance Regulatory Commission

Decree of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission

No. 16

The Measures for the Administration of Insurance Protection Fund, which were deliberated and adopted at the chairmen’s executive meeting
of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission on December 29, 2004, are hereby promulgated and shall come into force as of January
1, 2005.

Chairman Wu Dingfu

December 30, 2004

Measures on Governing Insurance Protection Fund

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1

With a view of regulating the payment, administration and use of insurance protection fund, guaranteeing the interests of policyholders,
effectively dissolving financial risks and maintaining the financial stabilization, the present Measures are formulated in accordance
with Article 97 and other provisions of the Insurance Law of the People’s Republic China (hereinafter referred to as the Insurance
Law).

Article 2

For the purpose of the present Measures, the “insurance companies” shall refer to the commercial insurance companies established upon
approval of the insurance regulatory institution and registered according to law, including Chinese-funded insurance companies, Chinese-foreign
joint venture insurance companies, solely foreign-funded insurance companies and branches of foreign insurance companies.

For the purpose of the present Measures, the “insurance protection fund” refers to the statutory fund paid by insurance companies
in accordance with the Insurance Law and to be paid for providing relief to the policyholders or companies with ceded policies according
to the principles of centralized management and planned use as a whole when an insurance company is revoked, goes bankruptcy or is
under any of circumstances as recognized by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (hereinafter referred to as the CIRC) in accordance
with Article 20 of the present Measures.

For the purpose of the present Measures, the “policyholders” shall refer to the parties of insurance contracts who have the power
to claim for policy-related benefits when an insurance company is revoked or goes bankruptcy, including the applicants for insurance,
the insured or the beneficiaries.

For the purpose of the present Measures, the “company with ceded policies”shall refer to a life insurance company that accepts the
legally transferred life insurance contracts from an insurance company that is revoked or goes bankruptcy.

Article 3

The insurance protection fund shall be fallen into the protection fund of property insurance companies and the protection fund of
life insurance companies.

The protection fund of property insurance companies shall be formed by the payments from property insurance companies, comprehensive
reinsurance companies and property reinsurance companies.

The protection fund of life insurance companies shall be founded by the payments from life insurance companies, health insurance companies
and life reinsurance companies.

Article 4

The administration and use of the insurance protection fund shall adhere to the principles of openness, reasonableness and effectiveness.

Article 5

The insurance protection fund shall be subject to the CIRC’s centralized management and planned use as a whole.

Chapter II Payment

Article 6

In the case of insurance business under the scope of relief from the insurance protection fund, an insurance company shall pay the
insurance protection fund according to the following proportions:

(1)

1% of self-retaining premiums for the property insurance, accidental injury insurance and short-term health insurance;

(2)

0.15% of self-retaining premiums for long-term life insurance with a guaranteed interest rate and long-term health insurance;

(3)

0.05% of self-retaining premiums for long-term life insurance without a guaranteed interest rate; and

(4)

The payment proportion for other insurance business of insurance companies shall be separately prescribed by the CIRC.

Article 7

The CIRC shall open a special account for the insurance protection fund, which shall be assessed on the basis of different accounts
of insurance companies.

Article 8

An insurance company shall in time and sufficiently pay the insurance protection fund into the special account for the insurance protection
fund, however if the insurer is under any of the following circumstances, its payment of the insurance protection fund can be paused:

(1)

in case the insurance protection fund surplus of a property insurance company, comprehensive reinsurance company or property reinsurance
company amounts to 6% of its total assets; or

(2)

in case the insurance protection fund surplus of a life insurance company, health insurance company or life reinsurance company amounts
to 1% of its total assets.

Where the insurance protection fund surplus of an insurer reduces or its total assets increase and thus the proportion of the insurance
protection fund to the total assets cannot satisfy the requirements as provided for by the preceding Paragraph, its payment of the
insurance protection fund shall be automatically resumed.

The insurance protection fund surplus of an insurance company equals to the accumulatively paid insurance protection fund plus the
apportioned investment incomes minus the various expenses.

Article 9

In case an insurance company is revoked or declared bankrupt and its insurance protection fund surplus is not enough for the relief
that should be granted to policyholders or the company with ceded policies, the insufficient amount shall be the market share calculated
upon the self-retaining premiums of other companies in the previous year, minus the insurance protection fund surplus.

Article 10

The insurance protection fund paid by an insurer shall be calculated on a yearly basis and be prepaid on a quarterly basis.

The insurance protection fund shall be prepaid by an insurer within 15 working days after the following quarter, and shall settle
it within four months after the end of each year.

Article 11

The CIRC may adjust the payment proportion, the upper limit of scale and the payment methods of the insurance protection fund on the
basis of the actual situations of insurance industry development and the risk.

Chapter III Administration and Supervision

Article 12

The principles of safety, profitability and fluidity shall be adhered to in using the insurance protection fund, and the guarantee
of asset safety is the precondition of the maintenance and increment of asset values.

The use of insurance protection fund shall be confined to the bank deposits, dealings of government bonds and other forms as prescribed
by the CIRC for using the fund. No insurance protection fund may be used for the investments in equities, real estate or other industries.

The CIRC may authorize a professional investment management institution for the use of insurance protection fund.

Article 13

The insurance protection fund council shall undertake the responsibility for supervising the administration and use of insurance protection
fund.

Article 14

The insurance protection fund council consists of such institutions as the insurance companies, the Legislative Affairs Office of
the State Council, the Ministry of Finance, the People’s Bank of China and State Administration of Taxation.

The measures for the work of the insurance protection fund council shall be separately prescribed by the CIRC.

Article 15

The CIRC shall, within five months after the end of each fiscal year, complete the audited financial report about the insurance protection
fund, and make it public to the council, member entities and all insurance companies.

Chapter IV Use

Article 16

In case an insurance company is revoked or declared bankrupt, and its liquidation properties are insufficient for paying the policy-related
benefits, the insurance protection fund shall offer relief to the policyholders of non-life insurance contracts in accordance with
the following principles:

(1)

Policyholders’ losses that are no more than 50,000 yuan will be fully covered by the insurance protection fund;

(2)

For individual policyholders, in the case of the losses in excess of 50,000 yuan, the insurance protection fund will cover 90 percent
of the extra part; for corporate policyholders, in the case of the losses in excess of 50,000 yuan, the insurance protection fund
will cover 80 percent of the extra part.

The policyholders’ losses as mentioned in the preceding Paragraph refer to the balance between the policyholders’ policy-related benefits
and the compensations recovered from the liquidation properties.

Article 17

In case a life insurance company is revoked or declared bankrupt, its life insurance contracts shall be transferred to another life
insurance company. If it cannot reach an assignment agreement with other life insurance company, the CIRC will designate a life insurance
company to take over the said life insurance contracts.

Article 18

In case the liquidation assets of an insurance company that is revoked or declared bankrupt are insufficient to reimburse the policy-related
benefits under life insurance contracts, the insurance protection fund shall offer relief to the companies with ceded policies in
accordance with the following principles:

(1)

For individual policyholders, relief from the policy-related benefits after the transfer shall not exceed 90 percent of policy-related
benefits prior to the transfer; and

(2)

For corporate policyholders, relief from the policy-related benefits after the transfer shall be no more than 80 percent of policy-related
benefits prior to the transfer.

A company with ceded policies shall evaluate policyholders’ policy-related benefits after the transfer in light of the standards as
prescribed in the preceding Paragraph, and hereby revise life insurance contracts with the policyholders.

Article 19

In case an insurance company is revoked or declared bankrupt, the policyholders shall sign agreements for transferring debts and credits
prior to the end of liquidation, the insurance protection fund shall offer relief to the policyholders and policyholders shall transfer
debts and credits of the insurance company to the insurance protection fund.

After the liquidation, if the compensations obtained by the insurance protection fund exceed the paid relief, the insurance protection
fund shall return the balance to policyholders.

Article 20

In the event of a significant crisis facing the insurance industry that may seriously endanger social public interests and financial
stabilization, the CIRC can draw on the insurance protection fund.

Article 21

The insurance protection fund will not cover losses from any of the following businesses of an insurance company:

(1)

insurance businesses that are directly undertaken overseas by an insurance company and inward transactions from abroad;

(2)

policy insurance businesses of an insurance company; and

(3)

any other insurance business as identified by the CIRC that is not under the scope of relief from the insurance protection fund.

Chapter V Legal Liabilities

Article 22

Any insurance company in violation of this Measures shall be ordered to correct and be imposed upon a fine of 50,000 yuan up to 300,000
yuan; in case the circumstances are serious, its scope of businesses may be restricted and it may be ordered to stop undertaking
new businesses or its business permit for insurance businesses shall be withdrawn.

The senior management personnel and persons directly responsible for the illegal acts shall be given warnings or ordered to be dismissed
or replaced and be imposed upon a fine of 20,000 yuan up to 100,000 yuan in light of the different circumstances.

Chapter VI Supplementary Articles

Article 23

The insurance companies shall, within three months as of the implementation day of this Measures, pay 50% of the submitted insurance
protection fund into a special account for the insurance protection fund as opened by the CIRC, and the remaining part shall be paid
off within one year as of the implementation day of this Measures.

Article 24

The power to interpret this Measures shall be vested in the CIRC.

Article 25

The present Measures shall be implemented as of January 1, 2005.



 
China Insurance Regulatory Commission
2004-12-30

 







PROVISIONS OF THE CUSTOMS OF THE PRC ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RULES OF ORIGIN OF GOODS UNDER THE SPECIAL PREFERENTIAL TARIFF TREATMENTS GIVEN BY THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TO THE LEAST-DEVELOPED AFRICAN COUNTRIES






Order of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China

No. 123

The Provisions of the Customs of the People’s Republic of China on the Implementation of “the Rules of Origin of Goods under the Special
Preferential Tariff Treatments Given by the People’s Republic of China to the Least-developed African Countries” were deliberated
and adopted at the executive meeting of the General Administration of Customs on December 29, 2004. They are hereby promulgated and
shall be implemented as of January 1, 2005.
Director, Mu Xinsheng

December 30, 2004

Provisions of the Customs of the PRC on Implementation of “the Rules of Origin of Goods under the Special Preferential Tariff Treatments
Given by the People’s Republic of China to the Least-developed African Countries”

Article 1

The present Provisions are formulated in accordance with the Customs Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Rules of Origin
of Goods under the Special Preferential Tariff Treatments Given by the People’s Republic of China to the Least-developed African
Countries for the purposes of promoting the economic trade between China and the least-developed African countries (hereinafter referred
to as the “beneficiary countries”, see the name list in Annex 1) and correctly determining the origin of goods, which are exported
to China by the beneficiary countries under the special preferential tariffs treatment.

Article 2

The present Provisions shall apply to the goods, which are imported from the beneficiary countries under the item of enjoying special
preferential tariff treatments (for the list of those products, please refer to the Import and Export Tariff Regulations of the People’s
Republic of China), but the goods for processing trade shall be excluded.

Article 3

If the goods directly imported from a beneficiary country and included in the list of goods under special preferential tariff treatments,
their place of origin shall be determined according to the following principles:

(1)

As to the products entirely obtained from a beneficiary country, their place of origin shall be the country from which the goods are
obtained; and

(2)

As to the products incompletely obtained from a beneficiary country, their place of origin shall be the country where the final substantial
processing is completed.

Article 4

The phrase “products entirely obtained from a beneficiary country” as mentioned in Item (1) of Article 3 of the present Provisions,
namely the entire obtainment criterion, refers to the following products:

(1)

The mineral products exploited or extracted from this country;

(2)

The plants or their products harvested or collected from this country;

(3)

The animals borne and raised in this country;

(4)

The products obtained from the animals of this country as mentioned in Item (3) of this Article;

(5)

The products obtained from hunting or fishing in this country;

(6)

The fish and other marine products obtained from the high seas by vessels registered in this country or hanging the flag of this country,

(7)

The products obtained from processing the articles as listed in Item (6) of this Article on the processing vessels registered in this
country or hanging the flag of this country;

(8)

The waste and old articles that are gathered in the course of consumption in this country and that can only be suited to recycling
of raw materials;

(9)

The waste and piecemeal materials that are generated in the course of production in this country and that can only be suited to recycling
of raw materials ; and

(10)

The products obtained from processing the articles as listed in Items (1) to (9) of this Article within this country.

Article 5

If any of the following types of processing or treatment is used for any of the following purposes, no matter it is completed independently
or together with the others, it shall be deemed as minor processing or treatment and shall not be taken into account in the determination
about whether the products are entirely obtained or not from a country:

(1)

The processing or treating conducted for preserving or transporting the goods;

(2)

The processing or treating conducted for facilitating the loading and unloading of the goods; or

(3)

The packing, exhibiting and other types of processing or treating conducted for selling the goods.

Article 6

The criterions on the determination of “substantial processing” as mentioned in Item (2) of Article 3 of the present Provisions
shall be the criterion of the change of tariff code or the criterion of ad valorem percentage.

(1)

The “criterion of the change of tariff code” refers to the change of the classification of the 4-digit tariff items in the Commodity
Names and Code Coordination System for the goods obtained from a beneficiary country after they are manufactured or processed with
the materials not originated in this country, and the aforesaid goods will not undergo any more production, processing or manufacturing
in any other country or region that will cause any change of the classification of the 4-digit tariff items, such goods shall be
deemed to have undergone substantial processing.

(2)

The criterion of ad valorem percentage refers to the total value of the materials, parts or products not originated in a beneficiary
country is less than 60% of the FOB price of the products manufactured or obtained by this beneficiary country, and the final production
procedure is completed within this beneficiary country, the aforesaid products shall be deemed to have undergone substantial processing.
The count formula shall be:

￿￿The Value of Materials Not Originated from a Beneficiary Country + The Value of Materials of Unidentified Origin

——————————————————————————————————————————————————￿￿100% lt 60%

￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿￿Price of FOB

(a)

The value of the materials not originated from a beneficiary country refers to the import CIF price.

(b)

The value of materials of unidentified origin refers to the price paid for the materials of unidentified origin in the manufacturing
or processing beneficiary country, which is determined at the earliest.

The above-mentioned criterion’s calculation of the ” ad valorem percentage” shall be comply with the universally acknowledged accounting
rules as well as the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.

Article 7

The simple dilution, mix, packing, bottling, drying, assembly, classification or decoration shall not be deemed as substantial processing.
If the purpose of enterprise production or pricing measures is for avoiding the present Provisions, it shall not be deemed as substantial
processing.

Article 8

In the determination of the origin of goods, one shall not take into account the origin of the energy, workshops, equipment, machines
and tools employed during the production course of goods, nor shall one take into account the origin of the materials that are employed
during the production course but do not constitute any component or constituent part of the goods.

Article 9

In the determination of origin of goods, the following items shall be neglected:

(1)

The packages, packing materials and containers that are declared and uniformly classified into the same category of the goods under
the Import and Export Tariff Regulation of the People’s Republic of China.

(2)

The accessories, spare parts, tools and introductory materials accompanying that are declared and uniformly classified into the same
category of the goods under the Import and Export Tariff Regulation of the People’s Republic of China.

Article 10

The goods under the special preferential tariff treatments shall be complied with the rules on direct transportation. The direct
transportation means that:

(1)

the goods are directly transported from a beneficiary country to a customs port of China;

(2)

the goods transit a third country (region) but

(a)

merely for the geographical reason or for the need of transportation;

(b)

don’t enter a third country (region) for trade or consumption;

(c)

except for loading, unloading and other necessary work to keep the goods in good condition, the goods haven’t undergone any other
type of processing in a third country (region);

(3)

As to the imports that are transported by transiting a third country (region), the following documents shall be offered to the customs
of the declaration place:

(a)

The joint transportation bills of lading issued by the export country;

(b)

The certificate of origin issued by the issuance institution of the export country;

(c)

The invoice of goods of the original producer; and

(d)

The certification documents meeting the 3 conditions as listed in Item (2) of this Article.

Article 11

When declaring the goods under special preferential tariff treatments, the importer shall submit the certificate of origin (see the
format in Annex 3) issued by the government institution designated by the export country (see Annex 2).

Article 12

A certificate of origin issued by an issuance institution of a beneficiary country shall be valid for a period of 180 days as of
the date of issuance. The certificate of origin shall be printed on A4 paper, the words on the face shall be in English. A certificate
of origin shall consist of 1 original and 3 duplicates and the following colors: the original color shall be apricot cream and the
duplicates color shall be light green.

Article 13

When goods are imported, the consignee of imports shall offer the original certificate of origin and the second duplicate to the
entry customs. The second duplicate shall be prepared for the verification where the Customs of the People’s Republic of China considers
necessary. The third duplicate shall be kept by the issuance institution of the export country. The fourth duplicate shall be kept
by the exporter.

Article 14

When the goods under the special preferential treatments are exported, the customs of the export country shall sign and affix its
seal on the certificate of origin after it ascertains that the documents conform to the goods. When declaring the import goods, the
consignee of import goods shall, on its own initiative, declare to the customs that the relevant goods are under the special preferential
tariff and shall submit the certificate of origin bearing the seal of the customs of the export country. The entry customs shall
permit the imports goods to enjoy the special preferential tariff upon strength of the valid certificate of origin.

Article 15

When having any doubt about the authenticity of the certificate of origin, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s
Republic of China or its authorized institution may, via the economic and commercial counselor’s office of the embassy or consulate
of China based in the corresponding beneficiary country, require the customs of the beneficiary country or the original issuance
institution of the certificate of origin to conduct verification, and to give it a reply within 90 days from the day when it receives
the verification request. If the customs of the beneficiary country or the original issuance institution of the certificate of origin
fails to offer a reply within 90 days, the goods shall not enjoy the special preferential tariff treatments. Where necessary, the
customs of China may assign some workers to conduct on-site inspection upon consent of the counterpart country.

During the period of waiting for the result of verification of the certificate of origin of the beneficiary country, the entry customs
may, at the request of the consignee of imports, release the goods after it charges a sum of security equivalent to the amount of
tariff calculated under the most favored nation tariff rate applicable to the goods, and it shall handle the import procedures in
accordance with the relevant provisions and complete the corresponding statistical work of the customs. After the customs of the
export country or the issuance institution of the certificate of origin completes the verification, the entry customs shall, in accordance
with the verification result, promptly handle the formalities for refunding the security or converting the security to the import
customs tariff, and make correct the relevant statistic data.

Article 16

Definitions of the following terms as mentioned in the present Provisions:

The “materials” shall include components, spare parts, constituent parts, semi-assembly and / or products that have actually constituted
part of another product or has been used in the production course of another product.

The “production” refers to the ways of obtaining products, including planting, exploiting, harvesting, raising, breeding, extracting,
collecting, gathering, capturing, fishing, entrapping, hunting, manufacturing, producing, processing or assembling of the products.

The “customs ports of China” refer to the ports within the area coverage to which the Customs Law of the People’s Republic of China
applies.

Article 17

Anyone who violates the present Provisions shall be punished according to the Customs Law of the People’s Republic of China, Regulation
on the Implementation of the Administrative Punishments of the Customs of People’s Republic of China and other relevant laws and
administrative regulations. If any crime is constituted, he shall be subject to the criminal liabilities according to law.

Article 18

The power to interpret the present Provisions shall remain with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of
China.

Article 19

The present Provisions shall be implemented as of January 1, 2005.

Annexes:

1. Name List of the African Beneficiary Countries

2. Institutions Issuing Certificates of Origin of the “Beneficiary Countries”

3. Format of Origin of Certificates (Omitted)

Annex 1.
Name List of the African Beneficiary Countries

The “beneficiary countries” refer to the African least-developed countries that have completed the procedures for exchanging the documents
on the special preferential tariff treatments with China, which include: Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African, Comoros, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique,
Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.

Annex 2.
Institutions Issuing Certificates of Origin of the “Beneficiary Countries”




Annex 2

￿￿

Serial Number

Country

Issuance
Institution(s)

1

Benin

Pending

2

Burundi

Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
Ministry of Finance

3

Cape Verde

Customs

4

Central African

Ministry of Planning, Economy and
International Cooperation

5

Comoros

Pending

6

Democratic

Republic of Congo Pending

7

Djibouti

Deputy Director￿￿s Office of the
Indirect Taxation Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Finance, Planning and
Privatization

8

Eritrea

Foreign Trade Department of the
Ministry of Trade and Industry

9

Ethiopia

Customs

10

Guinea

Ministry of Medium and Small
Enterprises, Center for Handling Export Procedures

11

Guinea-Bissau

Pending

12

Lesotho Lesotho

Revenue Authority

13

Liberia

Ministry of Commerce and Industry

14

Madagascar

Ministry of Industry and Trade

15

Mali

Pending

16

Mauritania

Pending

17

Mozambique

Customs

18

Niger

Chamber of Commerce

19

Rwanda Rwanda

Revenue Authority

20

Sierra Leone

National Revenue Authority
(including the customs subordinate to it), Chamber of Commerce

21

Sudan

Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of
Foreign Trade

22

Tanzania Tanzania

Revenue Authority (the customs
subordinate to it), Chamber of Commerce

23

Togo

Ministry of Industry, Commerce,
Transportation and Bonded Areas

24

Uganda

Trade Promotion Commission

25

Zambia Zambia

Revenue Authority (the customs
subordinate to it)




REPLY OF THE STATE ADMINISTRATION OF TAXATION ON THE ISSUE CONCERNING THE EXPIRY DATE FOR SPECIAL POLICY TAX REFUND

the State Administration of Taxation

Reply of the State Administration of Taxation on the Issue concerning the Expiry Date for Special Policy Tax Refund

Guo Shui Han [2004] No. 1430

December 30, 2004

Shenzhen Municipal office of the State Administration of Taxation,

Your Request for Specifying the Expiry Date for Special Policy Tax Refund for the Year 2003 (No.182 [2004] of Shenzhen Municipal office
of the State Administration of Taxation) has been received. After deliberation, we hereby make the following reply concerning the
expiry date for tax refund on homemade equipments purchased by foreign-funded enterprises and water, electricity and gas consumed
by enterprises in the export processing zones:

I.

In accordance with the relevant provisions in the Supplementary Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on Doing well the Liquidation
Work for Tax Refund or Exemption on Export Goods for the Year 2003 (Letter No.132 [2004] of the State Administration of Taxation),
for homemade equipments purchased by foreign-funded enterprises and water, electricity and gas consumed by enterprises in the export
processing zones, all taxes refundable (exemptible) and taxes that are not yet refunded (exempted) of those value-added tax invoices
as issued prior to December 31, 2004 by the sellers shall be dealt with as accumulatively refundable (exemptible) taxes prior to
the end of 2003.

II.

The tax authorities shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, handle the tax refund of the year 2003 on homemade equipments purchased
by foreign-funded enterprises and water, electricity and gas in export processing zones as declared by export enterprises prior to
March 31, 2004.

III.

In case an export enterprise fails to declare the tax refund of the year 2003 on homemade equipments purchased by foreign-funded enterprises
and water, electricity and gas consumed by enterprises in export processing zones prior to March 31, 2004, the tax authorities shall
not handle tax refund declaration formalities in accordance with relevant provisions in the Notice of the State Administration of
Taxation on Doing well the Liquidation Work for Tax Refund or Exemption on Export Goods for the Year 2003 (Letter No. 1303 [2003]
of the State Administration of Taxation).

 
the State Administration of Taxation
2004-12-30

 




CONSTITUTION ACT, 1982 – page 22

NOTES (1) The enacting clause was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act, 1893, 56-57 Vict., c. 14 (U.K.). It read as...