(Source: "China Financial News", 2025-04-15)

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, my country has accelerated the process of tariff reform. The overall level of tariffs has dropped significantly, the tariff structure has been optimized, and a series of measures have expanded market opening and improved domestic industrial competitiveness, laying the foundation for building a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the main body and the domestic and international dual cycles reinforcing each other.

Changes and effects of my country’s tariff policy since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China

Proactively lower tariffs and actively expand the level of opening up to the outside world. Since joining the World w88 Organization, my country has actively fulfilled its promised tariff reduction obligations. In 2010, my country completed its WTO tariff reduction commitments, and the overall tariff level dropped from 15.3% to 9.8%.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, my country has continued to optimize its tariff policy and further proactively expanded opening up to the outside world through measures such as the active reduction of most-favored nation tax rates, reductions in free w88 agreement (FTA) tax rates, and unilateral tax reductions for the least developed countries. The overall level of tariffs has continued to decrease. Among them, my country's overall tariff level will be reduced significantly in 2018, covering daily consumer goods, automobiles and parts, pharmaceuticals, industrial products and other fields, involving more than 3,000 tax items. After multiple independent adjustments in 2018, China's overall tariff level dropped from 9.8% to 7.5%, which is lower than the overall tariff level of most developing countries. In July 2021, according to the World w88 Organization's "Information Technology Agreement", my country implemented the eighth step of tax reductions. After multiple rounds of tax reductions, information technology products achieved zero tariffs, and my country's overall tariff level dropped from 7.5% to 7.3%. According to data from the Ministry of Finance, my country's current overall tariff level is 7.3%, which is close to the average level of developed countries.

At the same time, the implementation of the free w88 agreement has also reduced my country’s tariff levels. Up to now, my country has signed 23 free w88 agreements and preferential w88 arrangements, involving 30 countries or regions. Among them, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) stipulates the gradual elimination of more than 90% of commodity tariffs among member countries. Under the RCEP framework, my country has set different treaty tax rates for the other 14 member countries and implemented them in phases. At present, my country's w88 with most goods from ASEAN countries has reached zero tariffs, and China has promised to eventually reduce tariffs to zero for 86% of goods from Japan.

In addition, China also actively implements special and differential treatment for the least developed countries, continues to reduce taxes unilaterally and expands the scope of application of preferential tax rates. As of now, my country applies zero tariffs to 100% of tax items originating from the 43 least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with my country.

Continue to optimize the tariff structure and give full play to the macro-control function of tariffs. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, while reducing the overall level of tariffs, my country has continued to optimize the tariff structure and adjust tariffs more flexibly according to the needs of macroeconomic development.

Our country implements tentative tax rates lower than the most-favored-nation tax rate for nearly 1,000 imported goods every year. By adjusting the tax rates for different categories of goods, it protects people's livelihood and promotes consumption upgrades. It also provides strong support for the development of domestic high-end manufacturing and green industries, further exerting the macro-control function of tariffs. The continuous optimization of the tariff structure is an epitome of the optimization of my country's resource allocation, and has played a huge role in promoting the free flow of domestic factors and enhancing the sustainability of my country's economic development.

First of all, in terms of consumption, my country has significantly reduced tariff rates on some daily consumer goods. Since 2015, my country has reduced tariffs on imported consumer goods many times. Among them, in the substantial tariff adjustment in 2018, the average tax rate on daily consumer goods dropped from 15.7% to 6.9%. At the same time, my country has implemented zero tariffs on imported anti-cancer drugs and continues to expand the scope of zero tariffs on imported drugs to meet the growing demand for consumption upgrades and the people's needs for a better life. In addition, the reduction in tariffs on imported consumer goods has also forced the quality of domestic products to upgrade, promoting the development of high-end industries.

Secondly, in terms of industrial product manufacturing, my country supports the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry by reducing import tariffs on some key components and raw materials. In 2020, my country will reduce import tariffs on some high-end auto parts; in 2022, it will further reduce import tariffs on some high-performance materials and chip manufacturing equipment, providing support for the domestic auto industry to upgrade towards new energy and intelligence.

Finally, in terms of green industry development, in 2020, my country will reduce import tariffs on photovoltaic modules, wind power equipment, etc., to provide policy support for promoting the realization of the "double carbon" goal.

Legislative work progressed steadily and the "Tariff Law of the People's Republic of China" was promulgated. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, tariff legislation has made important progress. Starting from December 1, 2024, the "Tariff Law of the People's Republic of China" will come into effect, providing legal support for the formulation and implementation of my country's tariff policies. The implementation of this law will help maintain the stability of the current tax system and ensure that the overall level of tax burden remains unchanged.

The Tariff Law covers the scope of tariff application, the setting and implementation of tax items and rates, improving the tariff collection system for tax amounts and tax preferences, improving the tariff collection management system, and coordinating tariff response measures for security and development. The "Import and Export Tariffs of the People's Republic of China" attached to the Tariff Law stipulates and adjusts the tax items, tax rates and related applicable rules of tariffs. By improving the tariff legal system, my country's w88 rules and business environment are more standardized and transparent, further promoting the liberalization and facilitation of w88 and investment.

Coping with w88 frictions and unilateralism, and safeguarding fair w88. Facing the rise of unilateralism and w88 protectionism in the international w88 environment, my country has actively used tariff policies to deal with w88 frictions and safeguard national interests and fair w88 order. In response to the repeated tariff increases imposed by the United States since 2018, my country has actively responded according to the actual situation, adjusted relevant tax items many times, and implemented temporary tax rates on some commodities. After the Trump administration imposed the latest round of tariffs, my country also announced the imposition of additional tariffs on multiple types of goods originating in the United States to counter the U.S. w88 hegemony.

Analysis of tariff policy adjustment trends

Against the backdrop of profound changes in the global economic landscape, accelerated scientific and technological progress, green and low-carbon transformation, and domestic consumption upgrades, my country's tariff policy is developing in a more flexible, precise and multi-functional direction. These trends enable tariff policy to better serve the national development strategy. In the future, tariff adjustments must not only take into account protection and opening up, but also play a role in promoting the digital and intelligent transformation of industries and people's livelihood.

The flexibility of tariff adjustment has been enhanced, and both the protective and open functions of tariffs have been given equal emphasis. As uncertainty in the global w88 environment intensifies, tariff policy adjustments will become more flexible to respond to changes in the international economic situation and balance the relationship between protection and openness. On the one hand, my country will continue to promote reasonable reductions in tariff levels to enhance market openness and improve the level of international w88 facilitation; on the other hand, tariff policies also need to continue to play a role in maintaining the safety of key industries and supporting the development of domestic enterprises. Therefore, from the perspective of opening up, it is necessary to continue to optimize the tariff system and further reduce agreement tax rates through free w88 agreements and other means. From a protection perspective, specific tariff policies need to be implemented in high-tech industries and other fields to ensure the safety of the industrial chain, and w88 remedy tools should be rationally used to deal with w88 frictions.

Tariffs play an increasingly important role in promoting the digital, intelligent and green transformation of industries. Under the guidance of the "14th Five-Year Plan" and the long-term goals of 2035, my country is accelerating the upgrading of industries in the direction of digitalization, intelligence and greening. In the future, tariff policy will play a more important role in guiding industrial upgrading, promoting the development of high-end manufacturing, and promoting the transformation of a green and low-carbon economy. In terms of promoting digital intelligence, my country may implement more preferential tariff policies for key equipment and raw materials involved in emerging industries such as intelligent manufacturing and the Internet of Things to support domestic enterprises in mastering key technologies and enhance international competitiveness. In the field of digital w88 and cross-border e-commerce, my country may further optimize tariff policies to promote the development of digital w88. In terms of green transformation, tariff policies will be more tilted towards new energy, carbon-neutral technology and other fields, and greater efforts will be made to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of enterprises.

Tariffs play an increasingly important role in promoting consumption and ensuring people’s livelihood. Under the guidance of domestic consumption upgrading and common prosperity strategies, tariff policy will play a more active role in promoting consumption growth and ensuring people's livelihood in the future. First of all, with the development of cross-border e-commerce and changes in residents’ consumption structure, my country may continue to reduce import tariffs on high-end consumer goods in the future. Secondly, in the fields of agricultural products and other fields, tariff policies will also be adjusted accordingly to ensure food security and enrich domestic food supply. At the same time, certain protective tariffs will be maintained on some key agricultural products to ensure the stable development of domestic agriculture.

Based on the above trend analysis, my country’s tariff policy can be further optimized.

First, flexibly adjust tax items and tax rates to effectively respond to international economic and w88 frictions and maintain w88 fairness. In the face of the rise of global w88 protectionism, my country can take targeted measures to increase or exempt tariffs within a reasonable and legal framework to safeguard the interests of domestic industries. By establishing a more refined tariff adjustment mechanism, we can dynamically assess the degree of damage to affected industries or commodities and adjust tariff measures in a timely manner to ensure that policies are accurate and effective. At the same time, we should improve the supervision and early warning system to avoid the negative impact of tariff adjustments on domestic enterprises.

Second, use tariff policy to support industrial transformation and upgrading, and promote deep coordination between tariff policy and industrial policy. Give full play to the role of tariffs as an industrial regulation tool, especially by reducing tariffs on related imported goods in high-end manufacturing, digital economy, green industries and other fields, to assist industrial upgrading and promote the improvement of domestic industrial chains. At the same time, we should optimize import tax rates for industries with strong domestic substitution capabilities, set reasonable protection periods, and encourage local enterprises to develop and innovate.

Third, actively promote external tariff negotiations, deepen the process of w88 liberalization, and build a high-standard w88 network. Make full use of multilateral and bilateral free w88 agreements to further reduce foreign w88 barriers, accelerate the implementation of tariff reduction commitments under the RCEP framework, promote further improvement of the zero-tariff ratio, especially in areas such as high value-added goods and digital goods, and expand the coverage of preferential tariffs. At the same time, we will actively advance w88 negotiations with other major economies and promote market opening on a larger scale and at a higher level.

Fourth, optimize the import tax policy system and implement more precise tax reduction measures to increase people’s livelihood and well-being. Focusing on the demand for consumption upgrades, import tariffs on consumer goods, medicines and medical devices can be further reduced, and more preferential tax policies can be implemented for high-end food, smart home appliances, etc. to promote the prosperity of the domestic consumer market.

(The author Tu Xinquan is the dean and professor of the China WTO Research Institute of the w88 casino; Deng Yuning is a master’s student of the China WTO Research Institute of the w88 casino)

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