China's customs regulator has revealed plans to implement new measures aimed at maintaining the country's market stability by cutting red tape and speeding up inspection and release procedures. The new measures are meant to ensure sufficient supply to the country's core industries, such as manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, food, and agriculture.

The General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced the new measures in a statement late last week, revealing specific solutions to ongoing challenges facing the nation and its import and export industry. The customs authority mentioned that it intends to speed up inspections for imported manufacturing equipment and material supplies, among other products, coming into the country.

This measure also applies to agricultural products and imports coming into China from foreign companies. The GAC plans to shorten the length of time required for quarantine approvals for these types of goods by providing select green channels for key agricultural and food products. Part of the plan will also involve the establishment of a 24-hour advanced clearance service for importers that need their products to be in the market as soon as possible to meet immediate demands.

For industrial components and machinery, the GAC plans to accelerate the current inspection pace, ensuring the quick release of these items to meet the urgent need of Chinese manufacturers and construction firms.

To strengthen its role in helping the nation deal with the current coronavirus epidemic, the GAC outlined specific measures intended to simplify the quarantine approval procedures for imported medical goods. Companies that need to send items to laboratories for testing for third-party certification will also be getting preferential treatment given the current situation.

The measure will also greatly benefit the current customs inspections and release process as the agency as importers should be able to get greenlit much quicker. The GAC plans to allow customs branches across the nation to directly conduct their own inspections and release procedures for specific imported items vital to solving current challenges. These will include priority items such as blood products, vaccines, medicines, and other medical items. This measure is intended to boost the country's ability to control the current epidemic, while also given it the chance to implement better preventative measures.

The agency hopes that these measures will help businesses resume production and operations more quickly, giving them the chance to recover from the blow dealt by the spread of the disease. A side effect of the simplification of the quarantine process would apparently also drastically improve foreign trade conditions in the country, the GAC claims.