The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine ("AQSIQ") has recently issued the Administrative Provisions for Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Procedures (the "Provisions"), effective from November 1, 2017.
According to the Provisions, inspection and quarantine procedures are generally comprised of part or all work steps as follows, including accepting inspection applications, examining inspection applications and issuing operating instructions, conducting inspections and quarantine tests on the spot and in laboratories, having plants and animals quarantined, carrying out quarantine treatment, making assessment decisions comprehensively, issuing release certificates, and archiving all relevant materials. The Provisions state that inspection and quarantine procedures shall be administered under the principles of "accepting the inspection application, conducting inspections and quarantine tests, drawing samples, carrying out quarantine treatment and issuing release certificates all only once". Additionally, the Provisions clearly specify that the AQSIQ should decide on the respective ratio of goods to be sampled for inspections and quarantine tests performed on the spot and in the lab, and draw samples in the so-called "dual random" manner. Where goods fail to pass inspections and quarantine tests or there are evidences that these goods are associated with higher level of risks, and the consignee, consigner or inspection applicant is rated as Level C or below in terms of its exit-entry inspection and quarantine credit, the sampling percentage could be heightened up to 100% against such party, after the risk assessment.