ShareChina implements HFC import and export licensing system
As of 1 November 2021, China has officially begun implementing its HFC import and export licensing system, in accordance with the Kigali Amendment.
As of 1 November 2021, China has officially started to implement its hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) import and export licensing system, according to an announcement by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and the General Administration of Customs (GAC). The announcement followed the release of China’s revised Import and Export Catalogue of Controlled Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), which added HFCs to the list of substances whose trade is closely managed.
In accordance with the Kigali Amendment, governments are required to establish an effective and operational governmental system for licensing the import and export of new, used, recycled and reclaimed controlled substances. It enables a country to monitor and control the movement of controlled substances accross national borders and is necessary for collecting the data that each country must report under the treaty. Licensing systems are also useful in preventing illegal trade.
China is the largest producer and exporter of HFCs in the world, and its trade involves exchanges with more than 120 countries. To prepare for the implementation of the HFC import and export licensing system, China’s National Management Office of ODS Import and Export collected information on domestic enterprises that import and export HFCs. From now on, enterprises engaged in the import and export of HFCs will have to submit applications in accordance with management measures of ODS Import and Export. After approval by the National Import and Export Management Office of ODS, enterprises will have to apply for import and export licenses from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) or issuing agencies entrusted by MOFCOM, go through customs clearance and obey relevant laws and regulations.
Sources
The Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO), Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China. http://en.fecomee.org.cn/News_1011/202111/t20211109_959728.html