GAC Issues a Policy to Implement 2018 Major Tasks on the Transparency of Government Affairs and Subject Additional Items to Spot Checks for Inspection and Quarantine Purposes
The General Office of the General Administration of Customs ("GAC") has recently issued the Implementing Plan of the General Administration of Customs to Put in Place the Major Tasks on the Transparency of Government Affairs in 2018 (the "Plan").
The Plan specifies the division of relevant tasks, including "strengthening work on publishing and interpreting business rules and responding to public concerns about these rules" and "boosting concrete effects of services concerning government affairs", as well as the time limits to accomplish these tasks. Further, the Plan states that, the List of Items to Be Randomly Inspected in Administrative Checks by the Customs will be revised and adjusted to include more items that will be inspected at random for inspection and quarantine purposes, and the updated list will be published in a timely manner. In addition, an information-based system will be developed for "dual random" operations, intended to publish the situation and results of spot checks. Moreover, it is clearly stated in the Plan that the service guide for business handling with the customs will be further standardized and improved, adding that no more requirements may be introduced, other than those provided in said service guide; in the event that the conditions to handle a service item are altered, relevant information after such alteration and the specific time the updated conditions will take effect shall be made public within one working day after examination and approval procedures have been completed. Furthermore, the Plan calls for effective efforts to safeguard individual privacy according to the law, adding that, except for punishment announcements and mandatory information disclosure, other government information that involves individual privacy shall be processed for the de-identification purposes when it is made public, and shall be published by the appropriate means to a proper extent.