Declare a defensible customs value — royalty, assist and related-party tricks are how valuation cases start.
China follows transaction-value logic with permitted additions and valuation methods when transaction value fails. Related-party deals, royalties, assists and software bundles are classic adjustment fights. Undervaluation risk is both duty exposure and smuggling theories in extreme cases. This wiki is valuation. Tariff classification and rules of origin sit beside it. Customs audits are how disputes often surface. Live /china-trade-customs-law remains the deep related guide.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
What is the invoice/transaction value?
Base.
BaseRoyalties/assists/packing to add?
Adjustments.
AddRelated party?
Test.
RPHS code already stable?
Classification related pages.
HSWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Is CIF always the answer?
Incoterms help explain cost elements; customs value rules still control.
Where is classification?
Open /tariff-classification-in-china.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.