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The Free Trade Map Expands, and the Maldives Agreement Comes into Effect, Leading a New Wave of Tariff Reductions
Category: Industry TrendsDate: On December 28, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council of China released the 2025 Tariff Adjustment Plan, which will officially take effect on January 1, 2025. The plan implements provisional tariffs lower than the most-favored-nation (MFN) rates on 935 imported goods and involves tariff reductions or special treatments under 24 free trade agreements (FTAs) and preferential trade arrangements. This is another major initiative by China to promote high-level opening-up and high-quality development. Specific policy measures include reducing tariffs in key sectors.
Home?Industry Trends? The Free Trade Map Expands, and the Maldives Agreement Comes into Effect, Leading a New Wave of Tariff Reductions
The most notable aspect of this adjustment is the implementation of provisional import tariffs lower than the MFN rates on 935 goods. These provisional rates are generally significantly lower than the MFN rates, aiming to attract high-quality imports through tariff leverage, promote domestic technological upgrades, and meet consumers growing diverse needs. For example, the 2025 MFN rate for infant formula is 15%, while the provisional import tariff is only 5%, substantially reducing import costs for businesses and bringing more competitive母嬰 products to the market.
In the high-end manufacturing and technological innovation sectors, this tariff adjustment shows strong傾斜: for instance, reducing import tariffs on cycloolefin polymers, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, and automatic transmissions for special-purpose vehicles like fire trucks and emergency repair vehicles, injecting new momentum into downstream high-end manufacturing and emergency rescue equipment industries. Meanwhile, import tariffs in the醫(yī)藥 health sector have also been significantly reduced, including專門用于CAR-T腫瘤療法的病毒載體 and nickel-titanium alloy wires for surgical implants, which now enjoy more favorable import tariffs. These measures aim to further enhance domestic medical services and biopharmaceutical技術(shù)水平, providing patients with more accessible and advanced treatment options.
It is worth mentioning that to encourage green and low-carbon development, products such as ethane and certain再生銅鋁原料 have also received preferential import tariffs to accelerate the construction of energy-saving and環(huán)保產(chǎn)業(yè)鏈 and promote the achievement of the dual carbon goals. In contrast, tariffs have been slightly increased for goods where domestic industries already have sufficient規(guī)?;?production or where過度進(jìn)口 is no longer necessary. For example, tariffs on糖漿 and含糖預(yù)混粉, vinyl chloride, and battery隔膜 have been slightly raised. These adjustments remain within Chinas WTO commitments and do not violate multilateral trade rules.
Another major highlight is the expansion of coverage under FTAs and preferential trade arrangements. In 2025, China will implement agreement tariffs on部分進(jìn)口商品 originating from 34 countries or regions under 24 FTAs, with優(yōu)惠力度 generally higher than the MFN rates. Among these, the China-Maldives FTA will officially take effect on January 1, 2025, and begin tariff reductions. Upon completion of the final降稅,約96% of tariff lines will achieve zero tariffs, which is of great significance for further deepening bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
Beyond FTAs, China continues to grant 100% zero-tariff treatment to 43 least-developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, aiming to help these countries better integrate into the global value chain and share development opportunities. Additionally, under the亞太貿(mào)易協(xié)定 and exchange of notes agreements with some ASEAN governments, China will implement preferential tariffs on imports from Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and other regions. These arrangements highlight Chinas active role in regional cooperation and South-South cooperation.
The 2025 tariff plan also includes further improvements to the tariff line system and domestic subheading notes. For example, new subheadings have been added for純電動(dòng)乘用車,杏鮑菇罐頭,鋰輝石, and ethane; the names of品目 such as椰子汁 and制成的飼料添加劑 have been optimized for more scientific and standardized descriptions. Dry紫菜,增碳劑, and注塑機(jī) are among the新增注釋, while the notes for白酒,木質(zhì)活性炭, and熱敏打印頭 have been改進(jìn) to enable businesses and regulators to classify and manage more accurately, effectively advancing customs operations and trade statistics.
Several industry analysts指出 that the 2025 Tariff Adjustment Plan continues to reflect Chinas consistent approach of expanding openness and promoting domestic industrial upgrading. On one hand, lower tariffs can inject more international high-end products into the market, accelerating technological and productivity upgrades. On the other hand,適度提升 tariffs on a少數(shù)商品 can ensure domestic production supply while激勵(lì)本土企業(yè) to持續(xù)投入 in technological advancements and industrial深耕, forming an ecosystem of effective competition and cooperation. Overall, this adjustment is a穩(wěn)妥升級 based on a comprehensive研判 of international trade rules and domestic economic realities, aligning with Chinas high-quality development policy orientation.
For businesses, the new tariff目錄 and more精細(xì)的稅目 adjustments present both opportunities and challenges.
For enterprises, the new tariff catalog and more refined tariff item adjustments present both opportunities and challenges.import and exportBusinesses must closely monitor changes in relevant tax rates, new tax categories, certificate requirements, and rules of origin to avoid crossing policy red lines or missing out on policy benefits in specific trade processes. Tariff preferences with least-developed countries and multilateral/bilateral agreement partners require companies to make forward-looking plans in market expansion, supply chain layout, and other areas to fully leverage the competitive advantages brought by zero tariffs or lower tax rates. Overall, this tariff adjustment plan will create more trade opportunities for China and its partners in 2025, supporting steady global economic recovery and inclusive growth.Cross-border E-commerceSaudi Arabias new regulation: Failure to obtain SC certificates on time will result in goods being denied entry.