The following announcement was received Wednesday, and confirms ChAFTA (China-Australia Free Trade Agreement) will enter into force on 20 December 2015. The key requirement for importers into Australia will be the certificate of origin (COO) which can only be issued by the below authorised bodies.
“After much speculation, we have just received confirmation from the office of The Hon Andrew Robb AO MP | Minister for Trade and Investment that notes are being exchanged and ChAFTA will enter into force on 20 December 2015. ChAFTA sets Australian import tariffs at zero on 82 per cent of China’s exports to Australia from day one, rising to 100 per cent by 1 January 2019″.
Certificates of Origin
We understand that the following Chinese Authorities will be able to issue Certificates of Origin [COO]:
• AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine) where the actual certificates will be issued by provincial Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureaus, which are administered by AQSIQ; and
• CCPIT (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade: (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade). Australia’s authorised bodies are: • the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry; • the Australian Industry Group and affiliated bodies; and
• the Australian Grape and Wine Authority.
COO’s will not be issued prior to the commencement date of CHAFTA.
A COO needs to be issued by an authorised body in the country of origin. For exporters to China, Australia’s authorised bodies are:
- The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI);
- The Australian Industry Group (AIG), and
- The Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) (for wine and wine-related products)
- NOTE: Only COOs issued from 20 December 2015 onwards will be accepted by China. For importers to Australia, China’s authorised bodies are: General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) or The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade
There will be an official ChAFTA website which will be able to provide specific information & details, and we will forward on further information as it comes. Currently best source of information is via the DFAT Website: http://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/chafta/Pages/australia-china-fta.aspx
Also helpful is the “Guide to using ChAFTA: http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/guide-to-using-chafta-to-export-and-import-goods.pdf
ChAFTA sets Australian import tariffs at zero on 82 per cent of China’s exports to Australia from day one, rising to 100 per cent by 1 January 2019
Over the next few weeks, we will be working to identify which of our customer products will be affected by the introduction of ChAFTA, and will liaise with you to provide further information relevant to your imports into Australia. If you would like to discuss ChAFTA in further detail and any particular concerns you may have, please feel free to contact us at any time.
