Preshipment inspection

Notifications under Article 5 of the Agreement on Preshipment Inspection

Questions from the United States to China
regarding document G/VAL/W/369^[1]

China

The following communication, dated 13 May 2022, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of the United States.

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The United States thanks China for its responses in G/VAL/W/369 to the questions posed in G/VAL/W/353.

As a follow-up to these responses, the United States would like to ask China to reply to the following questions:

1.     Noting China's response to Questions 1 & 2 of W/353, please explain how China ensures that the preshipment inspection entities it registers comply with the requirements of Article 2 of the Agreement on Preshipment Inspection (PSI).

2.     In accordance with paragraph 10 of Article 2 of the PSI Agreement, please provide information on the measures China takes to give effect to paragraph 9 on Protection of Confidential Business Information.

3.     Regarding the response to Question 3, please clarify whether arrival inspection and quarantine is required for every shipment subject to preshipment inspection, or only for some fraction of such shipments.

4.     The response to Question 3 states that "Preshipment inspection and arrival inspection and quarantine are mandatory, and they cannot replace each other." Please explain the basis for this statement. Why can preshipment and arrival inspections not replace each other?

5.     Regarding the response to Question 4, please provide the web address of the website that lists registered PSI institutions? Are any PSI institutions listed for old mechanical and electrical products? What percentage of foreign PSI institutions that apply to the General Administration of Customs China are approved?