China Adjusts Tariffs on Some Goods from 2025, Bringing Further Benefits to High-Quality Products Entering the Country

Recently, the Tariff Commission of the State Council released the "Tariff Adjustment Plan for 2025" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"), which will be implemented from January 1, 2025. Experts stated that this adjustment reduces import tariffs on some raw materials, pharmaceuticals, equipment, parts, and components, and makes adjustments to agreement-based tariff rates and tariff items. This is conducive to increasing imports of high-quality products, expanding domestic demand, advancing high-level opening up to the outside world, and solidly promoting high-quality development.

935 Items Subject to Import Tariffs Lower than MFN Rates

In 2025, China will apply temporary import tariff rates lower than the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) tariff rates to 935 items.

Firstly, to support technological innovation in leading the development of new productive forces, import tariffs will be reduced for items such as cycloolefin polymers, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, and automatic transmissions for special-purpose vehicles such as fire trucks and repair trucks. Secondly, to safeguard and improve people's livelihoods during development, import tariffs will be lowered for items such as sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, virus vectors for CAR-T cancer therapy, and nickel-titanium alloy wires for surgical implants. Thirdly, to promote green and low-carbon development, import tariffs will be reduced for ethane and some recycled copper and aluminum raw materials.

For example, the MFN tariff rates for seed burdock, seed sweet corn, milk-based formula foods for special medical purposes for infants, and oil residue cakes and other solid residues of coconut or dried coconut meat in 2025 ranged from 5% to 15%, but after the adjustment, the temporary tariff rates for these items in 2025 will be reduced to zero.

Furthermore, the "Plan" increases import tariffs for some items such as syrup and sugar-containing premixes, vinyl chloride, and battery separators, based on changes in domestic industrial development and supply and demand conditions, within the scope of China's commitments upon joining the World Trade Organization.

These adjustments align with the needs of China's economic development. Huang Yonghe, a senior chief expert at China Automotive Technology & Research Center Co., Ltd., stated that the "Plan" adjusts the tariff items and rates for goods upstream and downstream of the automotive industry chain, which will help ensure the safe and stable supply of China's automotive industry chain and supply chain while enhancing the international competitiveness of key links in China's automotive industry.