In China, the department in charge of the inspection and quarantine of commodities is the State Administration for Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (SAIQ), which was established on March 29, 1998. It was created by a merger of three government departments, namely, the State Administration of Import and Export Commodity Inspection, the State Animal and Plant Quarantine Administration under the Ministry of Agriculture, and the National Health and Quarantine Administration under the Ministry of Health.

 

SAIQ is the administrative institution enforcing the law in the field of entry/exit commodity health inspection and quarantine, animal and plant quarantine and the inspection, survey, and supervision of commodities. Its main functions are to check the import licenses of civil-use imports subject to the import license system, take responsibility for entry/exit animal and plant quarantine and the inspection of the sanitation and quality of foodstuff being exported or imported, to implement statutory inspection of imports and exports, and to control GSP Form A and certificate of origin.

 

Apart from SAIQ, another quarantine office is China National Import & Export Commodities Inspection Corporation (CCIC). It is a comprehensive inspection and survey agency duly authorized by the Chinese Government. Founded in 1980, it is the first national non-governmental organization of its kind in China, focussing its principal activities on the field of import and export commodity inspection and certificate inspection. Both the SAIQ and CCIC are government authorized organizations for import/export commodity inspection and quarantine, with their headquarters in Beijing. They have branches in cities and ports across the country. Inspection and quarantine subject to CCIC shall be carried out under the direct supervision of the SAIQ.

 

As to those commodities, that are excluded from the list of commodities for statutory inspection and quarantine, may, if necessary, be declared for inspection and quarantine by the owner. And he or she can engage by agreement either a Chinese or a foreign inspection and quarantine office to conduct the work. Generally, Chinese inspection and quarantine offices have been equipped with comparatively advanced techniques and facilities for carrying out the task. Moreover, they usually charge a lower fee than some other internationally famous quarantine institutions. As a result, Chinese businessmen, as well as increasing numbers of foreign businessmen, prefer a Chinese quarantine office. Of course, some foreign businessmen still favor a more creditable foreign office. So far, a few leading foreign famous commodity inspection and quarantine institutions have set up branches in China, thereby providing more choices for businessmen.

 

A. Import and Export Commodity Inspection:

 

Import and export commodity inspection covers the inspection of a commodity's quality, quantity, weight, safety and sanitation. All commodities listed in the Catalogue of Import and Export Commodities subject to Statutory Inspection, or commodities subject to statutory inspection otherwise specified by laws and regulations, must be subject to inspection by the Chinese entry/exit inspection and quarantine authorities or other designated institutions. The consignee of the imports subject to statutory inspection must register with the inspection and quarantine authorities at the port of discharge; and the consignor of the imports and exports subject to statutory inspection shall declare commodity inspection within the period and at the place specified by the inspection and quarantine authorities. Commodities subject to statutory inspection may not be marketed or used before being inspected, and export commodities may not be exported if found inferior in quality through inspection.

B. Preshipment Inspection on the Wastes to Be Imported as Raw Material:

 

China is a party to the Basel Convention on Control on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal of 1989. Preshipment inspection must applied to wastes when they are imported to China as raw material, in a bid to prevent hazardous wastes from entering China. The contract for the wastes business signed between a consignee and consignor must specify that the inspection shall be executed by the China entry/exit inspection and quarantine authorities or SAIQ-accredited inspection entities. The wastes shall not be loaded on ship before they have passed the inspection.

C. Sanitation Supervision and Inspection on Food for Export, Animal and Plant Quarantine, and Health Quarantine and Treatment:

 

All food for export or import must be inspected and up to the required standards. Otherwise, they may not be imported or exported.
All animals, plants, and their products for import, export and in transit, as well as materials used for carrying animals and plants, shall be subject to quarantine and inspection. Any person entering or leaving the country shall be placed in quarantine by the inspection and quarantine authorities to discover any possible communicable diseases, and the necessary prophylaxis and control measures shall be adopted by the authorities. They shall also inspect the sanitary conditions at border ports and on the means of transport inbound and outbound at ports.

D. Foreign Investment and Assets Appraisal:

 

China's inspection and quarantine authorities in various parts of the country may appraise foreign investment and assets either upon the application of the assets-related parties or their deputies or parties relating to economic interests, or upon the designation or entrustment of the judicial or arbitration or assets-appraisal bodies. This includes assets valuation and damage appraisal, and appraisal on the variety, quality, and quantity of assets.

 

Besides the above operation, SAIQ is also responsible for administering and implementing nationwide accreditation and quality certification in the field of import and export.

The inspection and quarantine statement on commodities to be imported and exported is to certify the quality of the commodities, and the certificate of qualification can be useful at least for three purposes, as follows:

 

a. For statutory inspected commodities, the quarantine certificate of qualification is one of the necessary documents for their entry or exit of a country. Customhouses will give clearance for them upon receiving the certificate.

 

b. For those commodities to be inspected and quarantined as specified in a business agreement signed between two parties, the qualified certificate of commodities is used to certify the quality of commodities up to the standard specified in the agreement. Both parties to the agreement usually at the same time agree on their appointed institution, place and time for inspection and quarantine in the terms. Both the parties can claim for any loss and launch a suit, if necessary, only under the condition that they have already strictly executed the terms on inspection and quarantine as specified in the agreement and acquired a qualified certificate of quarantine.