Governmental Services Impacting Foreigners

2004-03-01 18:00

Lhasa customs Service The Lhasa Customs Service is the accredited local office of the General Customs Administration of the People's Republic of China it has suboffices in Xigaze, Nyalam, Shiquanhe, Gyirong and the Lhasa Post Office.

In addition, it handles customs procedures for foreigners and Tibetans residing overseas who enter or leave China through the Gonggar Airport in Lhasa The Lhasa Customs Service has established inspection and supervision procedures and an operating system appropriate to local conditions in accordance with the Chinese government's "Measures for the Collection of Import Taxes in Tibet" and "Interim Procedures for the Inspection and Supervision of Merchandise Imported into Tibet."

It enjoys State Council and General Customs Administration preferential policies Merchandise intended for delivery in Tibet imported through other Chinese ports is treated as "Customs supervised merchandise" during transportation to Tibet and on arrival delivered to the Lhasa Customs Service for inspection, assessment of levies due and release of goods.

The purview of the Lhasa Customs Service supervision of freight traffic encompasses, first, ordinary trade, border trade in small quantifies and reciprocal cross border trade between people living in the border area; second, imported and exported merchandise; and third, merchandise and other articles imported or exported by Sino foreign cooperative or jointly operated enterprises.

With the approval of the national General Customs Administration, the Lhasa Customs Service has set up offices in Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Golmud in Qinghai Province, for the inspection and release of imported merchandise destined for other Iocations in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The General Customs Administration has issued new regulations regarding the supervision of luggage and goods carried by Tibetans living outside of China when they enter or leave China, relaxing previous quantitative limitations.

The Lhasa Customs Service follows two tariff schedules: the China Customs "Import/ Export Tariff Regulations of the People's Republic of China Customs" and the "Procedures of the Tibet Customs of the People's Republic of China for the Collection of Import Levies," together with its "Tariff Regulations "The Lhasa Customs Service divides imported; nods to be sold within the region into 21 tax categories and collects a tax accordingly in keeping with the region's low tax rates.

Goods approved for sale elsewhere in China are assessed at standard national customs tax rates Merchandise Inspection The regional government's Import Export Merchandise Inspection Bureau conducts technical inspections of items imported or exported in order to safeguard the nation's and the consumers' interests.

The bureau has branches in Zhamu on the Sino Nepalese border, Chengdu in Sichuan Province, and Golmud in Qinghai Province. Supervision of Food Hygiene Tibet has more than 80 governmental units supervising food hygiene and inspecting food quality China's "Food Hygiene Law," "Border Health Quarantine Law," and their by-laws for implementation stipulate that as of June 1, 1992 all imported foodstuffs entering through any Tibetan port of entry must be inspected by the China Lhasa Imported Foodstuffs Supervision and Inspection Office Persons dealing in imported food must obtain a "certificate of hygiene" from the office prior to sale.

Plant and Animal Quarantine The Lhasa Plant and Animal Quarantine Office has four branch offices in Zhamu, Burang, Gyirong and Riwo, in addition to the Gonggar Airport and the International Post Office in Lhasa.

China's Quarantine Law for Plants and Animals Crossing the Border requires the office to perform quarantine inspection on live animals, animal by-products, cultivated and wild growing plants and their seeds, sprouts and attendant materials, plant by-products, animal vaccines, blood serums, animal or plant waste materials, freight containers and packaging used to ship animals, plants, animal or plant byproducts, or anything else subject to quarantine, and means of transport coming from areas afflicted with epidemic plant or animal disease