Recently, the Tariff Commission of the State Council announced the "2025 Tariff Adjustment Plan" (hereinafter referred to as "the Plan"). Guided by Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Plan aims to deeply implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee. It adheres to the overall principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, orderly expands autonomous and unilateral opening-up, and adjusts the import tariff rates and classifications for certain products. The Plan will be implemented starting January 1, 2025, and is expected to enhance the import of high-quality products, expand domestic demand, promote high-level opening-up, and solidly advance high-quality development.
In order to enhance the synergistic effects of domestic and international markets and resources, the Plan will implement provisional import tariff rates lower than the most-favored-nation (MFN) rates on 935 items in 2025. Key measures include:
1. Supporting Technological Innovation: Lowering import tariffs on special-purpose vehicles such as automatic transmissions for fire trucks and emergency vehicles, as well as on cyclic olefin polymers and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers.
2. Improving Livelihoods: Reducing tariffs on sodium zirconium silicate, viral vectors for CAR-T cancer therapy, and nickel-titanium alloy wires for surgical implants.
3. Promoting Green and Low-Carbon Development: Lowering tariffs on ethane and certain recycled copper and aluminum raw materials.
Additionally, based on domestic industrial development and supply-demand fluctuations, tariffs will be increased on certain products, such as syrups, polyvinyl chloride, and battery separators, within the commitments made upon China's accession to the World Trade Organization.
To expand a high-standard free trade area network globally, 2025 will see the implementation of agreed tariff rates on certain imported goods originating from 34 countries or regions under 24 free trade agreements and preferential trade arrangements. The China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement will take effect on January 1, 2025, with tariff reductions expected to lead to nearly 96% of tariff items achieving zero tariffs after final reductions.
To assist the least developed countries in their development and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, 2025 will continue to grant zero tariff treatment on 100% of tariff items for 43 least developed countries with which China has diplomatic relations. Furthermore, special preferential rates will be maintained for certain imported goods originating from Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, in accordance with the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement and relevant agreements with ASEAN member countries.
In service of industrial development and technological advancement, 2025 will see the addition of tariff classifications for pure electric passenger vehicles, canned king oyster mushrooms, spodumene, and ethane, along with optimization of the nomenclature for items like coconut juice and feed additives. Following these adjustments, the total number of tariff classifications will reach 8,960. To promote a more scientific and standardized tariff system, new annotations will be added for items including dried seaweed, carbon additives, and injection molding machines, while existing descriptions for products like baijiu, wood-based activated carbon, and thermal printing heads will be optimized.
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