| Summary |
On 11 October 2025, the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) issued the revised "Administrative Provisions on the Customs Registration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food in the People's Republic of China" (Decree No. 280), which shall take effect on 1 June 2026.
The Provisions enhance food safety oversight while comprehensively considering trade facilitation principles. In accordance with international governance standards, GACC actively fosters mutual recognition of food safety systems, food connectivity and promotes trade facilitation among countries (regions). Participating parties may mutually agree to implement streamlined measures for batch registration and Manufacturers list management. Based on risk management principles, the Provisions establish differentiated registration methods, evaluation procedures, and management requirements according to the risk levels of exporting countries (regions), manufacturers, and products. The registration system for food products has been transformed from official recommendation to a catalog-based management framework with dynamic adjustments. Maintaining rigorous and pragmatic principles, the Provisions optimize procedures for re-examination, suspension, modification, and renewal, incorporating an automatic renewal mechanism to further streamline manufactures registration management.
The revision process demonstrated transparency and alignment with international norms and practices. In compliance with relevant WTO TBT/SPS rules, GACC notified the draft Provisions to the WTO from January to March 2025, solicited and incorporated feedback from various stakeholders. Chinese representatives presented the revisions at the 95th WTO/TBT Committee Meeting. The enactment and implementation timeline strictly adhere to the TBT/SPS Agreement, providing a transition period exceeding six months.
As of the current date, over 93,000 food manufactures from 178 countries and regions have successfully completed registration in China. Imported food trade from registered manufactures will remain unaffected. GACC will release supplementary implementation notices and guidelines, optimize and upgrade the registration management system for overseas food manufacturers, and conduct policy promotion and training through bilateral and multilateral channels to ensure effective implementation of the Provisions. Should members encounter technical challenges during implementation, they may contact GACC through the WTO SPS National Notification and Enquiry Center. GACC remains committed to providing targeted policy interpretation, technical support, and guidance on specific registration matters.
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