Chinese entry-exit agencies strengthening inspection on imported hazardous chemicals from 1 February 2012; China GHS-based SDSs, precautionary labels and packaging mandatory duties for industry now!
China has launched compulsory inspections over 160 hazardous chemical substances (including their packages) that are exported to the country as of February 2012, according to a joint order issued by the state General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and General Administration of Customs (GAC)..
29 Dec 2011, China's AQSIQ and GAC jointly published the Adjustment of 2012 Catalogue of Entry-Exit Commodities Inspected and Quarantined by the Competent Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Authorities, known as AQSIQ Notice 1466. It specifically focused on the adjustment of customs regulatory conditions. The adjusted 2012 Catalogue of Entry-Exit Commodities has grouped those products subject to entry-exit inspections and quarantine in three Annexes, namely：
Annex 1: Adjustment List regarding Customs Regulatory Conditions under the Catalogue of Inspection and Quarantine (2012);
Annex 2: Adjustment List regarding Inspection and Quarantine Types under the Catalogue of Inspection and Quarantine (2012);
Annex 3: Annex 3: List of Banned Commodities for Import or Export under the Catalogue of Inspection and Quarantine (2012);
At present, concerned chemicals listed in Annex 1 have been included into the chemical database of Chemlinked Chemical Inventory Toolbox, which contains in total 246 commodities including 160 hazardous chemicals that shall apply new customs regulatory conditions and corresponding inspection and quarantine types designated by the AQSIQ Notice 1466-2011,as of 1 February 2012. All these 160 hazardous chemical products have been collected from the Catalogue of Hazardous Chemicals of China (2002), also know as Chinese C&L Inventory. The full table of Annex 1 and a sheet illustrating customs inspection reference for the 160 hazardous chemical products can be downloaded HERE.
Detailed entry-exit inspection and quarantine rules over the 2012 Catalogue of Entry-Exit Commodities can be viewed at Chemlinked database: AQSIQ Announcement 30 of 2012.
If companies export those hazardous chemicals to China, the Chinese importer must apply for an inspection from the local Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) authority at the port of entry and provide the following documents.
Declaration of conformity
Information on inhibitors and stabilizers (names and quantities)
China-GHS SDS and precautionary label;
Other documents required for customs declaration)
The following items will be inspected by local CIQs for entry-exit hazardous chemical products:
Identify whether the composition/constituent information of goods, physical and chemical properties, hazard class, packaging category meet the requirements of relevant standards, and whether they are consistent with the hazard identification and classification report, SDS and precautionary label provided when applying for an inspection;
dentify whether a China GHS SDS has been provided along with the goods, whether a Chinese label has been affixed on the packaging of goods; whether the contents in SDS and label meet the requirements of relevant standards and are consistent with the goods;
Identify whether the models, category, specification, unit quantity and mark of packaging meet the standard requirements and whether the packaging has been adapted to the properties and uses of the inspected goods;
Identify whether the packing method meets standard requirement and whether the use of packaginge is appropriate, whether the packaging is sealed tightly and whether the goods inside the package have leaked.
At the moment, only hazardous chemicals in the 2012 Catalogue of Entry-Exit Commodities are affected by the new rules. In the future, all hazardous chemicals listed in the Catalog of Hazardous Chemicals will be affected.
