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On December 26, 2024, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council officially announced the tariff adjustment plan for 2025. The plan, which takes effect on January 1, 2025, aims to expand independent and unilateral openness by adjusting import tariff rates and categories for certain goods.
Experts and industry insiders noted that the adjustments lower import tariffs on some products and revise agreement tax rates and tariff categories, which will help increase the import of high-quality products and boost domestic demand. Among the changes, five adjustments specifically impact the import of agricultural and food products.
1. Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) Rates
Increase in MFN rates for certain imported syrups and sugar-containing premixes.
No. | Tariff Code | Product Description | Previous MFN Rate | Adjusted MFN Rate |
1 | 21069061 | Sugar solutions from cane or beet with added flavoring or coloring | 12% | 20% |
2 | 21069062 | Solid mixtures of cane or beet sugar with over 50% sugar content and other food ingredients | 12% | 20% |
2. Provisional Rates
Provisional import tariff rates applied to 935 items (excluding tariff quota goods), covering various agricultural products and food items.
Parts of the affected agricultural and food items
No. | Tariff Code | Product Description | 2025 MFN Rate | 2025 Provisional Rate |
1 | 04041000 | Whey and modified whey | 6% | 2% |
2 | 04062000 | Grated or powdered cheese | 12% | 8% |
3 | 04063000 | Other processed cheese | 12% | 8% |
4 | 04064000 | Blue cheese and other textured cheeses produced with Penicillium roqueforti | 15% | 8% |
5 | 04069000 | Other cheeses | 12% | 8% |
6 | 19011010 | Retail packaged infant formula for infant and young children (excluding milk-based infant formula for special medical purposes) | 15% | 5% |
7 | 19011010 | Milk-based infant foods for special medical purposes | 15% | 0% |
8 | 19011090 | Other retail packaged foods for infant and young children | 15% | 2% |
9 | 19019000 | Milk-based foods for special medical purposes | 10% | 0% |
10 | 21069090 | Non-milk-based infant foods for special medical purposes, non-milk-based foods for special medical purposes | 12% | 0% |
3. Tariff Categories
Adjustments to certain tariff categories and domestic subcategory notes. The total number of tariff categories for 2025 reaches 8,960.
1. Addition of Domestic Subcategories: New subcategories for certain foods or food ingredients have been added. For example, a new subcategory for "Canned Pleurotus eryngii (20039011)" has been introduced.
2. Optimization of Tariff Category Descriptions: The names of some existing tariff categories have been optimized and clarified to improve the accuracy and operability of the tariff schedule. For instance, the product description for "Coconut juice (21069040)" has been revised to "Coconut cream (21069040)."
4. Agreement Rates
Further tariff reductions under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), affecting a wide range of agricultural products, food, and food ingredients.
5. Preferential Rates
Continued zero-tariff treatment for 100% of tariff lines granted to 43 least-developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, covering a significant number of agricultural products, food, and food ingredients.
For more detailed tariff information, please refer to the attachments in the official announcement.
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