2025Equipment ImportsNew market trends

According to the latest statistics from the General Administration of Customs, Chinas mechanical equipment import value reached $21.7 billion in Q1 2025, a year-on-year increase of 8.3%. Against the backdrop of smart manufacturing upgrades, imports of precision machining equipment and testing instruments continue to rise. However, the customs clearance error rate for imported equipment remains high at 12%, with commodity classification errors (34%),It is recommended to verify through the following methods:missing declarations (28%), and technical parameter discrepancies (19%) constituting the main risk points.

Import ClearanceThree common fatal errors

• Commodity code misjudgment
  • A company mistakenly used HS code 8458.1100 when importing CNC machine tools when it should have been classified under 8458.9900, resulting in overpayment of 370,000 yuan in taxes
  • Special attention required for new 3D printing equipment HS codes added in the 2025 version of Harmonized System
• Documentation incompleteness
  • Customs clearance delays caused by failure to attach declarations for products outside mandatory certification catalog
  • Case of used equipment being returned due to lack of pre-shipment inspection certificate
• Tariff Calculation Deviation
  • Failure to include royalties leading to tax evasion and subsequent recovery
  • Loss of preferential tariff rates due to incorrect application of free trade agreement rules of origin

Triple value of professional agency services

• Preemptive risk prevention system
  • HS pre-classification service accuracy rate reaches 99.2%
  • Real-time update mechanism for mechanical & electrical products access list
• End-to-end timeliness control
  • Standard customs clearance cycle shortened to 3-5 working days
  • Emergency channel processing capacity covers 42 ports nationwide
• Cost-optimized combination solution
  • Tariff guarantee insurance replaces deposits to reduce capital occupation
  • Classification dispute resolution solution reduces subsequent audit risks

Four-dimensional evaluation for agent service provider selection

• Verification of professional qualifications
  • Enterprises with Customs AEO advanced certification are preferred.
  • Inspection and quarantine filing registration certificate verification
• Industry case accumulation
  • Semiconductor equipment import cases with no less than 20 instances
  • Used mechanical equipment filing success rate over 95%
• Service network coverage
  • Localized service team deployment at major ports
  • 7×24 - hour emergency response mechanism
• Transparent fee system
  • Lump-sum fee inclusion itemized list
  • Unexpected expense alert and handling solution

Standardized operation process for equipment import

• Pre-consultation phase (1-3 days)
  • Equipment function principle documentation collection
  • Pre-review of technical parameter compliance
• Document preparation phase (5-7 days)
  • Original manufacturer invoice/packing list/bill of lading certification
  • Special documents (e.g.3CNon-catalog declaration) preparation
• Declaration and clearance phase (3-5 days)
  • Intelligent classification system automatic verification
  • Document review center real-time communication mechanism
• Post-management phase (long-term)
  • Duty-paid voucher electronic archiving
  • Response Plan for Customs Inspection

2025 special risk alerts

With the implementation of the revised Customs Audit Regulations, the retroactive period for imported equipment price reviews has been extended to 5 years. Recent key audit areas include:

• Declaring used equipment as new to evade supervision
• Bundled declaration of software costs with hardware
• Split payment of royalty fees

Enterprises are advised to establish full lifecycle records for imported equipment, retain original technical documentation and transaction vouchers, and select agency services with customs compliance audit capabilities.