Taizhou company issues city's first self-certified China-Serbia FTA declaration of origin

Xingda Steel Tyre Cord in Taizhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xingda Steel Tyre Cord]

Jiangsu Xingda Steel Tyre Cord in Taizhou issued a declaration of origin for a shipment of steel tyre cord valued at 128,800 yuan (about $19,000) bound for Serbia on July 7. The document was self-issued under the China-Serbia FTA by the company in its capacity as an Approved Exporter, making it the first declaration of its kind in Taizhou.

The China-Serbia FTA is China's first free trade agreement with a Central and Eastern European country and the sixth Chinese FTA to adopt the Approved Exporter system for declarations of origin. As an enterprise certified under China Customs' Advanced Certified Enterprise (AEO) program, Xingda Steel Tyre Cord recently obtained Approved Exporter status.

The new qualification allows the company to issue declarations of origin on its own. These declarations carry the same legal effect as customs-issued certificates and enable overseas importers to enjoy preferential tariff treatment under the FTA.

"The China-Serbia FTA has provided strong support for our expansion in the Central and Eastern European market," said Yin Yongjun, head of the company's customs affairs department. He noted that tariffs on the company's exports to Serbia have continued to decline in recent years. The ability to issue declarations independently streamlines export procedures, reduces administrative costs, and gives the company greater flexibility in coordinating production and overseas shipments.

Since the China-Serbia FTA came into force two years ago, Taizhou Customs has issued 149 certificates of origin under the agreement, covering exports valued at more than 38 million yuan.