Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") and the General Administration of Customs ("GAC") have jointly distributed the Announcement on Relevant Arrangements for China Compulsory Certification Exemption (the "Announcement").
The Announcement states that the SAMR will take charge of organizing and supervising the implementation of the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) system, while the GAC will be responsible for the authentication of imported products subject to CCC. Two departments will establish mechanisms for checking via interconnected networks, circulating and collaborating with each other on, CCC certificates or supporting documents and other relevant information. Meanwhile, the Announcement explicitly states that till March 31, 2019, customs offices in all regions will continue to issue CCC exemption certificates, according to their functions before the institutional reform. However, beginning from April 1, 2019, work on CCC exemption will be taken over by market regulators. Furthermore, the Announcement reads that relevant applicant entities could still submit documents through the Management System for Tests and Processing of CCC-exempted Imports and Special Purpose Imports, and requirements in relation to application and administration remain unchanged.