China Inbound Legal Guides · Trade & Customs
China legal decision desk
Trade & Customs
A shipment is a classification-and-clearance transaction. Export controls sit beside duty. Do not start with the commercial invoice story.
gates mapped before the next move
TRADE & CUSTOMS
TARIFF CLASSIFICATION · CUSTOMS VALUATION · DECLARATION & CLEARANCE · DUTY PAYMENT & CLOCKS · AUDIT & ENFORCEMENT
A duty payment window, detention or audit response date can change the next action. This is a customs clock, not an FX blocked-payment clinic and not a family-safety route.
Open duty & clocksDecision desk / 01
Where is the
pressure point?
Matter statusCLASSIFY FIRSTConfirm the current route
Tariff classification
Name the goods and the candidate code before arguing valuation or a special regime.
Open routeCustoms valuation
Separate valuation from the HS code, then test related-party or assist facts.
Open routeDeclaration & clearance
Match the shipment file to a declaration route before the goods move.
Open routeDuty payment & clocks
Identify the payment due date before expanding a classification theory.
Open routeAudit & enforcement
Preserve the declaration file and the live issue before treating it as a new import plan.
Open routeSituation-based routes
Start where
the matter is.
11 bounded routes turn a broad concern into the next useful question.
Tariff classification
HS codes, tariff treatment and the first decision that drives duty, licences and later audits.
Open route 02ValueCustoms valuation
Transaction value, related-party pricing and the additions that change the duty base.
Open route 03ClearanceDeclaration & clearance
Import/export declaration, documents and the clearance path the goods actually take.
Open route 04ClocksDuty payment & clocks
Duty, VAT on import and the payment windows that become enforcement risk.
Open route 05AuditAudit & enforcement
Post-clearance audit, disputes over code or value, and the record customs will ask for.
Open route 06RegimesBonded, CBEC & special regimes
Bonded, FTZ and cross-border e-commerce paths — different from general trade.
Open route 07ControlsExport controls & sanctions
Dual-use classification, licensing, end-user and end-use screening, catch-all controls and sanctions overlays before goods or technology move.
Open route 08Export classification & technologyExport classification & technology
Classify controlled items, software and technology before physical or remote transfer.
Open route 09Controlled strategic materialsControlled strategic materials
Current controls affecting rare earths, gallium, germanium, graphite, antimony and tungsten.
Open route 10Food & beverage import complianceFood & beverage import compliance
GACC registration, food/beverage import, labelling, inspections and importer/distributor compliance.
Open route 11Freight & customs interfacesFreight & customs interfaces
Customs-facing issues in freight forwarding, logistics documentation, valuation and cargo release.
Open routeDecision shortcuts
Already know
the issue?
Jump to the narrow question changing your next move.
Quick answers
Orient first.
Then go deeper.
Short explainers for recurring questions beneath this practice route.
Editorial & legal review
Research with
professional boundaries.
Route logic and substantive content require review when current rules change.
No lawyer is presented as the legal reviewer until an appropriately qualified specialist is assigned.
This hub routes research; it does not provide legal advice or promise regulatory clearance.
Editorial policyCounsel hand-off
Need trade and customs counsel?
This hub organises classification, value, clearance and clocks. It does not declare goods, compute duty or bind Customs on your facts.