Recently, the General Administration of Customs issued the Announcement on Adjusting the Format of the Certificate of Origin under the China-Switzerland FTA (No.49, 2021), which determined that the format and issuance of the certificate of origin under the China-Switzerland FTA will be adjusted accordingly, and the maximum number of commodities contained in the certificate will be increased from 20 to 50, which will bring greater convenience for enterprises to enjoy the benefits of exporting goods to Switzerland.
The China-Switzerland FTA came into effect on July 1st, 2014, which is the first bilateral FTA between China and continental European countries and the top 20 countries in the global economy. According to the agreement, 99.7% of Swiss exports to China will be subject to zero tariff immediately after the agreement comes into effect, and 84.2% of Swiss exports will eventually be subject to zero tariff in China. The overall smooth implementation of the agreement has played a positive role in deepening economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. From January to July, 2021, Jiaxing CCPIT issued a total of 311 certificates of origin under the China-Switzerland FTA, involving a trade amount of nearly US$ 8 million, and can get about US$ 400,000 in tariff reduction and exemption at the customs of the importing country.
Compared with the old certificate, the format of the new certificate of origin under the China-Switzerland FTA has been changed from “maximum 20 items” (Max 20) to “maximum 50 items” (Max 50) in the fifth column of the certificate, and it is stated on the back page that Article 4 is changed from “No more than 20 items should be filled in.” (The number of items should not exceed 20.) is revised as “No more than 50 items should be filled in.” (The number of items should not exceed 50.)。 According to relevant regulations, Jiaxing CCPIT will issue a new version of the certificate of origin under the China-Switzerland FTA for enterprises from September 1st, and stop issuing the old one. The old certificates issued for enterprises before August 31st (including August 31st) can still be used normally after September 1st. If an enterprise applies to reissue or change the old certificate after September 1, the CCPIT will issue a new certificate for it, and the application date and issuance date of the certificate are the actual application and issuance date. Independent printing enterprises need to download and update the latest version of printing components before printing the new certificate.
In view of the “expansion” of the new version of the certificate of origin of the China-Switzerland FTA, the Jiaxing Council for the Promotion of International Trade issued the latest requirements and related work information in time, actively promoted and explained the revision of the certificate of origin under the China-Switzerland FTA, guided enterprises to successfully apply for and use the certificate, and provided enterprises with better and more convenient services by promoting independent printing by enterprises. The Jiaxing Council for the Promotion of International Trade will provide assistance at the first time if the export goods of enterprises are blocked from enjoying the benefits of tariff reduction and exemption in Switzerland due to the certificate format problem.
(Contributed by Jiaxing Municipal Bureau of Commerce)