Part Ⅱ. Solid Wood Packing Material ( SWPM ) controls

A. Background

The CIQ ( China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Services ) reported that several kinds of Pine wood nematode such as " Bursaphelenchus Xylophyllus " , came from ntreated conifer wood packing material, has been introduced into parts of China and is reportedly causing significant damage to some of its coniferous forest, environment, tourism, foreign trade and exporting in China.

B. Measurement

Implementation of Notice No.23, issued by the People's Republic of China State Administration for Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine, is enforced in an effort to prevent further introductions into the country.

C. Action

With effective from Jan 1, 2000, all wood / non-wood packing goods exported from USA and JAPAN direct or indirect destined for China, must be declared / certified in compliance with the Ordinance.

D. Requirement

Exporter has to self-certify / provide and accompany any one or both of the following with goods destined for China.

1. Declaration of No-Wood Packing Material. (appendix 5 )

Packing material made of carton paper, corrugated paper, carton board, fibrous board, oriented strand board, resin composites, plywood, laminates etc are defined as non-wood. Above declaration will apply. Exporter to self-certify. (note : plywood has been classified as no-wood due highly processed.)

2. Declaration of Non - Coniferous Wood Packing Material. (appendix 6 )

Wood packing material OTHER THAN coniferous trees, predominately evergreens, conebearing trees such as pine, spruce, hemlock, fir etc., above Declaration will apply. Exporter to self-certify.

3. Certificate of Treatment.

Wood packing material which MADE FROM coniferous trees, predominate evergreens, conebearing trees such as pine, spruce, hemlock, fir etc., requires the Certificate of Treatment which issued from the local Authority such as USDA of United State and Japan Plant Quarantine Association of Japan .

* Any declaration sheet / certificate of treatment must be presented in its original with goods, photo copy will not be accepted.

* For cargoes shipped from USA or Japan, regardless the country of origin of goods, have to comply with the requirement 'D"

* For cargoes shipped from countries other than USA and Japan, separate the goods which country of origin are USA or Japan into separate invoice and comply with the requirement 'D'.

E. Consequences

Cargoes, for whatever detaining reason, bonded in customs quarantine center for more than 10 working days will be subjected to penalty at daily rate 0.05 % of the cargo value. Storage over 3 working days in air cargo terminal will be subjected to late pick-up charge at USD0.25 per 10kg.

Failure of compliance, goods will be subjected one of the three actions:

1. Rejection for import into China and be returned to origin.

2. Separate the packing material from the goods and destroy the packing material at the importer's expenses

3. Destroy both the packing material and the goods if they can not be detached.

* A lot of applications/procedures/approvals/expenses will be required in proceeding any one of above action. Most important is the processes lead the shipment badly delayed which hurts the planned schedule.

* Again, we seek your absolute support to comply with the above requirement.