On April 7, 2016, 11 ministries and commissions of China including CFDA, AQSIQ, MOA, GAC, etc. co-released the “Positive List for Commodities Traded through Cross-Border E-Commerce (CBEC)”, which indicates that the commodities not included in the positive list are not allowed to be imported to China through CBEC. This new policy was formally implemented from April 8, 2016 together with the new import taxation policy on CBEC traded commodities (see CL News Report on Mar. 25, 2016).
This Positive List includes 1,142 types of commodities, which partly or completely prohibits the import of dairy products, infant formula, health food, foods for special medical purpose (FSMPs), fresh foods, etc. to China through CBEC, and will also influence greatly overseas businesses of different food sectors operating within this space.
For dairy products:
Liquid milk (including UHT milk, pasteurized milk and formulated milk), and milk powder (excluding formulated milk powder) are not included in the positive list, which will not be allowed to be traded through CBEC.
For infant formula:
Infant formula shall be registered with CFDA prior to entry into China in accordance with the Food Safety Law, and any infant formula that has not been registered will not be allowed to be traded through CBEC.
For health food:
Health food will not be allowed to be traded through CBEC anymore, including both nutrient supplements and food with specific health functions.
Foods for special medical purpose:
FSMPs are not allowed to be traded through CBEC.
For fresh foods:
Fresh foods are not on the positive list.
The commodities included in the positive list are exempted from submitting an import license. A customs clearance sheet is not required for commodities traded through direct mailing. For commodities traded through bonded warehouse, a customs clearance sheet is required during import, and is not required when commodities are sent from the bonded warehouse.
We provide full-scale global food market entry services (including product registration, ingredient review, regulatory consultation, customized training, market research, branding strategy). Please contact us to discuss how we can help you by 
