China set lower temporary tariffs on 883 imports from January 1, 2021, China’s Custom Tariff Commission said at the end of 2020.
The policy aims to encourage consumption and reduce people’s economic burden, setting zero tariffs on drugs for cancer and rare diseases, as well as medical nutrition products children with certain diseases need.
Liang Ming, director of the Foreign Trade Institute under the Ministry of Commerce, told media that China has three types of tariffs - temporary, conventional and most-favored-nation. The first category is the most flexible and can be easily adjusted based on actual conditions. China has adjusted temporary tariffs at the end of the year for the last three years.
Besides medications, medical instruments and medical nutrition products, other imports subject to lower tariffs include materials and parts for new infrastructure construction and aviation equipment.