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Items such as watches, radios, cameras, and calculators imported duty
free for personal use may not be transferred or sold to others. Gifts
and articles carried on behalf of others must be declared to the customs
inspector and are subject to duty. Chinese customs regulations prohibit
the import or export of the following items:
(a) arms, ammunition, and explosives;
(b) radio transmitter-receivers and principal parts;
(c) Chinese currency (renminbi);
(d) books, films, records, tapes, etc. which are “detrimental to China’s
politics,economy, culture, and ethics” (e.g. pornographic or religious
content)
(e) poisonous drugs and narcotics;
(f) infected animal or plant products; and
(g) infected foodstuffs.
Note: Videotapes may be confiscated by Chinese customs to determine
that they do not violate prohibitions noted in item (d), above. Tapes
are sometimes held for several months before being returned. (There is
no guarantee that they will ever be returned.)
Export of the following items is also prohibited:
(a) valuable cultural relics and rare books
relating to Chinese history, culture, and art;
(b) rare animals, rare plants and their seeds; and
(c) precious metals and diamonds and articles made from them.
Antiques and imitations approved for export are marked with a red wax
seal.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, improper glazing
of some dinnerware for sale in China can cause lead contamination in
food. Therefore, unless you have proof of its safety, dinnerware
purchased in China should be used for decorative purposes only. Chinese
commercial shipments of dinnerware to the United States are tested to
conform to U.S. safety standards.
Movie cameras and videotaping equipment should be declared upon entry
into China. |
