Taicang firm gets Jiangsu’s first certificate of origin under upgraded China-New Zealand FTA

2022-04-11 14:52:00

On April 8, Suzhou Team Green Furniture Home Products Limited in Taicang City became the first exporter in East China’s Jiangsu Province to be issued the certificate of origin under the upgraded China-New Zealand free-trade agreement.

The company got the certificate of origin for 156 boxes of paper ornaments in about 30 seconds after submitting documents to a smart management system.

Photo/CFP

Hu Yan, a manager of the company, said the rapid service helps save time and labor cost. The bilateral FTA upgrade also means reduced tariffs of about 150,000 yuan per year for exports to New Zealand, giving a strong support to the company’s business development.

Xia Weiyi, deputy head of the tariffs section of Taicang Customs House, subordinate to Nanjing Customs District, said the agreement upgrade means greater market access as tariffs are now eliminated for over 97% of New Zealand goods exports to China and all exports from China to New Zealand are eligible for tariff-free access.

Nanjing Customs District will continue to optimize the management of the certificate of origin, promoting smart processing, approval and self-service printing of the trade document. Data of Nanjing Customs District showed the first quarter of 2022 saw issuing of 130,000 certificates of origin, which are estimated to cut tariffs by about $90 million.