Policy changes, tariff updates, port performance, and tax-rebate news that move your shipments —translated into plain English by our licensed trade specialists.
The Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration released the updated export rebate rates effective January 1. Most machinery and electronics retain 13%, while selected steel and aluminium products see reductions. We break down what each band means for your cash flow.
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With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed since February and Houthi attacks keeping carriers off the Red Sea, both major Middle East corridors are compromised at once. Asia–Europe and Asia–US East Coast services are routing around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 10–14 days and lifting rates into an early peak season. Here's what exporters need to plan around for the rest of 2026.
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Yangshan and Waigaoqiao terminals handled record volumes as early Lunar New Year restocking pulled demand forward. Dwell times held steady despite the surge.
China Customs widened its advance-declaration program, letting compliant importers release qualifying goods before vessel arrival — cutting clearance to hours at major ports.
The latest staged reductions under the RCEP agreement lower duties on a fresh tranche of goods. Exporters using correct certificates of origin can claim immediate savings.
Regulators refreshed the positive list and simplified returns handling for cross-border e-commerce. Sellers gain clearer paths for warehousing and consolidated declarations.
Foreign-exchange authorities raised facilitation thresholds for trusted enterprises, reducing documentation on routine settlements and speeding receipt of overseas payments.
Spot rates eased as capacity returned to the trade lane. Carriers signal steadier schedules into spring, easing planning for shippers booking long-haul cargo.
The annual tariff schedule update reshuffles several headings. Misclassified goods risk delays and penalties — we list the categories most affected this year.
We are excited to announce the expansion of our Exporter of Record (EOR) services to include used motorcycles, handling all strict CCIC inspections and customs compliance for global buyers.
Negotiators signalled progress on duty relief and certification recognition. We summarise the practical takeaways for businesses planning shipments this year.
With China's VAT Law and its supporting notices (MOF & STA No. 2026-11, STA No. 2026-5) now in force, export-agency business has changed across filing, declaration, FX collection, and recordkeeping. This guide walks through all seven stages — from choosing the agency model to retaining documents — and flags the key shifts: a 36-month hard deadline, 10-year retention, and FX materials moved to retain-for-inspection.
Maximize your global trade margins. We now offer end-to-end solutions in China's Comprehensive Free Trade Zones (FTZ), including duty-free warehousing, entrepot trade, and accelerated tax rebates.
GACC Decree No. 280, with implementation details in Announcement No. 27 of 2026, replaces the 2021 Decree No. 248 from June 1. It merges the old dual registration tracks into a single CIFER application, brings overseas cold storage into scope, and introduces automatic five-year renewals for most categories. Here's what food exporters and importers must check before enforcement begins.
MOFCOM and GACC's Announcement No. 91 of 2025 released the 2026 Catalogue of Dual-Use Items and Technologies, effective January 1. Listed items need a MOFCOM license before customs will release the goods — and classification often turns on technical specifications, not the HS code alone. Here's who is caught and how to check your export lines.
GAC Order No. 282, in force from April 1, 2026, replaces the old three-tier customs credit structure with five tiers aligned to international AEO standards, and adds a credit-repair mechanism. Your tier directly drives inspection rates, clearance speed, and paperwork — here's how the system works and why your agent's standing matters too.
Sourcing used excavators or loaders from China? We navigate strict CCIC inspections, licensing, and complex export regulations to deliver your heavy equipment globally.
A record wave of newbuild ships should be pushing container rates down in 2026 — but Cape of Good Hope rerouting is absorbing that capacity and propping rates back up. The result is a range-bound but volatile market that fragments by lane. Here's how to read the tug-of-war and budget freight through it.
China–US e-commerce air shipments fell by up to half after the US de minimis exemption ended, while capacity and commercial focus shifted toward Europe. Layered on elevated fuel costs from the Middle East conflict, air pricing carries a persistent premium in 2026. Here's how exporters should rethink mode, routing, and fulfillment.
From April 1, 2026, China cancelled the export VAT rebate for 249 product categories — spanning solar PV, chemicals, ceramics, glass, building materials and e-cigarettes — and cut the battery rebate from 9% to 6%. Two months on, here's where margins have landed, what the pre-deadline rush left behind, and what exporters should still be checking.
Battery products avoided the outright April 1 rebate cancellation, but only briefly: the rate dropped from 9% to a transitional 6% through end-2026, and falls to zero on January 1, 2027. With about seven months of the window left, here's the two-phase timeline, why 2027 contracts must be priced at zero rebate, and what to do before the year-end boundary.
Your VAT rebate isn't one number — it's three: the input VAT you paid, the refund rate for your HS code, and the gap between them that lands on your margin. With 2026 reshuffling rates across hundreds of categories, here's how the mechanics work, why the customs-declaration date is the trigger that matters, and how the two claim methods differ.
The US–China tariff truce is holding through 2026, with heightened reciprocal tariffs suspended until November 10 — but it's an annual, conditional ceasefire, not a settlement. A May 20 statement from Beijing on restoring Section 301 tariffs added a fresh wrinkle. Here's what's actually locked in, what remains unresolved, and how to plan around the boundary dates.
A year after the US ended de minimis treatment for Chinese goods, sub-$800 parcel volumes have fallen roughly 54% and every shipment now needs a formal customs entry. The change reshaped the small-parcel model almost overnight. Here's the scale of the shift, what it costs now, how exporters have adapted, and the forward risk for other markets.
The first formal USMCA joint review on July 1, 2026 is expected to tighten rules of origin and anti-circumvention enforcement aimed at Chinese content entering the US duty-free through Mexico. With Mexico now the top US trading partner and under scrutiny for transshipment, here's what could change and how China-linked supply chains should prepare.
The end of US de minimis reshaped the dominant cross-border export model — from small-parcel direct shipping (9610) toward bulk export to overseas warehouses (9810). Here's how China Customs' four supervision codes differ, why 9810 fits the post-de-minimis environment, the working-capital trade-off it carries, and the policy tailwind behind the shift.
After the US de minimis change, the major Chinese platforms shifted strategic focus to Europe, which has overtaken North America for at least one of them. But Europe's own ─150 low-value exemption is likely to be abolished, and its GPSR, DSA, and VAT/IOSS compliance layer is heavier. Here's how exporters should approach the reorientation.
Cross-border e-commerce sellers often source from suppliers who can't issue VAT invoices — and no invoice has long meant no rebate. China has built specific rebate and exemption paths for e-commerce, but they only work if your customs code, funds flow, and documentation align. Here's how the codes drive tax treatment, the SAFE funds-flow trap, and a compliance checklist.
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