Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 This Law is formulated with a view to expanding the opening to the outside world, developing foreign trade, maintaining foreign trade order, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of foreign trade dealers and promoting the sound development of the socialist market economy.

Article 2 This Law applies to foreign trade and the protection of trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. For the purposes of this Law, “foreign trade” refers to import and export of goods and technologies and the international trade in services.

Article 3 The authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council is in charge of the administration of the foreign trade of the entire country pursuant to this Law.

Article 4 The State shall pursue a uniform foreign trade regime, encourage the development of foreign trade and maintain fair and free foreign trade order.

Article 5 The people's Republic of China shall, on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, promote and develop trade relations with other countries and regions, enter into or participate in such regional economic trade agreements as customs union agreement, free trade agreement and participate in regional economic organizations.

Article 6 The People's Republic of China shall, in accordance with the international treaties and agreements to which it is a contracting party or a participating party grant the other contracting parties or participating parties, or on the principle of reciprocity grant the other party most-favored-nation treatment or national treatment in the field of foreign trade.

Article 7 In the event that any country or region applies prohibitive, restrictive or other like measures on a discriminatory basis against the People's Republic of China in respect of trade, the People's Republic of China may, as the case may be, take counter-measures against the country or region in question.

Chapter 2 Foreign Trade Dealers

Article 8 For the purposes of this Law, “foreign trade dealers” refers to legal persons, other organizations or individuals that have fulfilled the industrial and commercial registration or other practicing procedures in accordance with laws and engage in foreign trade dealings in compliance with this Law and other relevant laws and administrative regulations.

Article 9 Foreign trade dealers engaged in import and export of goods or technologies shall register with the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council or its authorized bodies unless laws, regulations and the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council do not so require. The specific measures for registration shall be laid down by the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council. Where foreign trade dealers fail to register as required, the Customs authority shall not process the procedures of declaration, examination and release for the imported and exported goods.

Article 10 The international trade in services shall be carried out in compliance with the provisions of this Law and other relevant laws and administrative regulations. The units engaged in foreign contract of construction project or foreign labor cooperation shall be equipped with corresponding eligibility or qualification. The specific measures therefore shall be laid down by the State Council.

Article 11 The State may implement state trading on certain goods. The import and export of the goods subject to state trading shall be operated only by the authorized enterprises unless the state allows the import and export of certain quantities of the goods subject to state trading to be operated by the enterprises without authorization. The lists of the goods subject to state trading and the authorized enterprises shall be determined, adjusted and made public by the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council in conjunction with other relevant authorities under the State Council. In the event of importation of the goods subject to state trading without authorization in violation of paragraph 1 of this Article, the Customs shall not grant release.

Article 12 Foreign trade dealers may accept the authorization of others and conduct foreign trade as an agent within its scope of business.

Article 13 Foreign trade dealers shall, in accordance with the regulations laid down by the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council or other relevant authorities under the State Council in accordance with law, submit the documents and materials relevant to their foreign trade dealings to relevant authorities. The authorities concerned shall keep business secrets confidential for the providers thereof.

Chapter 3 Import and Export of Goods and Technologies

Article 14 The State permit free import and export of goods and technologies unless the laws or administrative regulations provide otherwise.

Article 15 The authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council may, in accordance with the need to supervise import and export, implement automatic import and export licensing certain goods subject to free import and export and make public the list thereof. Where the consignee or the consigner of the imported or exported goods subject to automatic licensing submits the automatic licensing application before going through the Customs declaration procedures, the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council or its authorized authorities shall grant approval. In case of failure to accomplish automatic licensing procedures, the Customs shall not grant release. In the case of importing or exporting technologies subject to free import and export, the contracts thereof shall be registered with the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council or its authorized authorities.

Article 16 The State may restrict or prohibit the import or export of relevant goods and technologies for the following reasons that:

（1） the import or export needs to be restricted or prohibited in order to safeguard the state security, public interests or public morals,

（2） the import or export needs to be restricted or prohibited in order to protect the human health or security, the animals and plants life or health or the environment,

（3） the import or export needs to be restricted or prohibited in order to implement the measures relating to the importations and exportations of gold or silver,

（4） the export needs to be restricted or prohibited in the case of domestic shortage in supply or the effective protection of exhaustible natural resources,

（5） the export needs to be restricted in the case of the limited market capacity of the importing country or region,

（6） the export needs to be restricted in the case of the occurrence of serious confusion in the export operation order,

（7） the import needs to be restricted in order to establish or accelerate the establishment of a particular domestic industry,

（8） the restriction on the import of agricultural, animal husbandry or fishery products in any form is necessary,

（9） the import needs to be restricted in order to maintain the State's international financial status and the balance of international payment,

（10） the import or export needs to be restricted or prohibited as laws and administrative regulations so provide, or

（11） the import or export needs to be restricted or prohibited as the international treaties or agreements to which the state is a contracting party or a participating party so require.

Article 17 The State may, in the case of the import or export of the goods and technologies relating to fissionable and fissionable materials or the materials form which they are derived as well as the import or export relating to arms, ammunition and implements for war, take any measures as necessary to safeguard the state security. The State may, in the time of war or for the protection of international peace and security, take any measures as necessary in respect of import or export of goods and technologies.

Article 18 The authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council in conjunction with other relevant authorities under the State Council shall, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 16 and 17 in this Law, establish, adjust and publish the list of goods and technologies of which the import or export is subject to restrictions or prohibitions. The authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council independently or in conjunction with other relevant authorities under the State Council may, with the approval from the State Council, decide, on a temporary basis, to impose restrictions or prohibitions on the import or export of goods and technologies not included in the list provided in the above paragraph within the meaning of Article 16 and Article 17 in this Law.

Article 19 Goods subject to import or export restriction shall be subject to quota and/or licensing control; technologies whose import or export is restricted shall be subject to licensing control. Import or export of any goods and technologies subject to quota and/or licensing control will be effected only with the approval of the authorities responsible for foreign trade under the State Council or the joint approval of the foregoing authorities and other relevant authorities under the State Council in compliance with the provisions of the State Council. Certain imported goods may be subject to tariff rate quota control.

Article 20 Quotas and tariff rate quotas of the imported and exported goods shall be distributed on the principles of transparency, equity, impartiality and efficiency by the authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council or the relevant authorities under the State Council within their respective responsibilities. Specific measures for the distribution shall be laid down by the State Council.

Article 21 The state shall implement the commodity assessment system in a uniform manner and in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and administrative regulations carry out certification, inspection or quarantine in respect of imported and exported commodities.

Article 22 The state shall implement origin management in respect of the imported and exported goods. Specific measures therefore shall be laid down by the State Council.

Article 23 Where the import or export of cultural relics, wildlife animals, plants and the products thereof are prohibited or restricted by other laws or administrative regulations, the provisions of relevant laws and regulations shall be observed.

Chapter 4 International Trade in Services

Article 24 In respect of international trade in services, the People's Republic of China shall, in accordance with the commitments made in international treaties or agreements to which the People's Republic of China is a contracting party or a participating party, grant the other contracting parties or participating parties market access and national treatment.

Article 25 The authority responsible for foreign trade under the State Council in conjunction with other relevant authorities under the State Council shall, pursuant to provisions of this Law and other laws and administrative regulations, administer the international trade in services.