The Changsha Customs Authority has recently launched the country's first pre-assessment systems for African foodstuffs exported to China. The initiative has been filed with the General Administration of Customs and is being put into practice in the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Hunan FTZ).

The initiative relies on such national platforms as the Pioneering Zone for In-depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation. The risk assessment will be carried out in advance for food products from African countries that enterprises in the Hunan FTZ intend to import but have not yet been granted access by China. Based on the results, proposals will be put forward to the General Administration of Customs for simplifying the access assessment procedures, so as to further open up the "green channel" for African agricultural foodstuffs exported to China.

Authorities noted that the initiative will take into account the characteristics of the food safety management systems of African countries, to formulate differentiated assessment programs. Meanwhile, the initiative will synchronize the establishment of a food safety information database, a pre-assessment technology database, and a risk assessment database for African countries, providing technical support for the assessment of access of African agricultural foodstuffs exported to China.

The Changsha Customs Authority stated that it will better serve the import demand of enterprises in the Hunan FTZ in the future, assisting Hunan in building an industrial chain of non-resource products such as coffee, nuts and meat imported from Africa.

In recent years, African high-quality agricultural foodstuffs have accelerated their entry into Hunan. Under the guidance of the General Administration of Customs, the Changsha Customs Authority has managed to participate in 46 tasks of access assessment of African agricultural and food products. In 2024, dried sea cucumber from Kenya, mutton from Madagascar, and wild Nile perch fish maw (swim bladder) from Uganda were exported to Hunan, marking the first of its kind nationwide. Hunan also completed the first entrepot trade of African flowers in China.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn