運(yùn)輸和物流高效率的國(guó)內(nèi)運(yùn)輸和物流業(yè)對(duì)于中國(guó)的現(xiàn)代化具有至關(guān)重要的意義，這為全國(guó)范圍的大市場(chǎng)奠定基礎(chǔ)，為中國(guó)不中國(guó)的運(yùn)輸與物流行業(yè)分割成眾多地方和區(qū)域市場(chǎng)，地方保護(hù)主義成為行業(yè)發(fā)展的羈絆。目前，這些壁壘在很大程度上依然存在，除非徹底消除，否則中國(guó)無(wú)法享受加入WTO本來(lái)應(yīng)當(dāng)給國(guó)民經(jīng)濟(jì)帶來(lái)的好處。2003-2004年度出臺(tái)的一些重要改革措施包括卡車(chē)運(yùn)輸載重標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的實(shí)施，以及外商投資國(guó)內(nèi)運(yùn)輸和物流行業(yè)第一輪市場(chǎng)在中國(guó)交通運(yùn)輸協(xié)會(huì)的支持下成立了“運(yùn)輸與物流協(xié)會(huì)”，其目的是在從事廣義的運(yùn)輸和物流業(yè)務(wù)(包括公路、鐵路、路運(yùn)輸和相關(guān)信息技術(shù))的公司、高等院校以及研究開(kāi)發(fā)機(jī)構(gòu)之間架起橋梁，并成為中外物流技術(shù)開(kāi)發(fā)商之間技術(shù)交流的渠道。月成立了旨在為物流行業(yè)制定標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的全國(guó)委員會(huì)。委員會(huì)的成員來(lái)自商務(wù)部、中國(guó)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化研究所和科技部等機(jī)構(gòu)。委員會(huì)的使命主要是制定系統(tǒng)和信息管理標(biāo)準(zhǔn)以及電子數(shù)據(jù)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，這些正在設(shè)計(jì)過(guò)程中的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)均旨在促進(jìn)物流各個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)之間的統(tǒng)一性，從而為整個(gè)行業(yè)帶來(lái)顯而易見(jiàn)的效益?！栋才拧愤€允許香港服務(wù)提供者以獨(dú)資形式在內(nèi)地提供相關(guān)的貨運(yùn)分撥和物流服務(wù)，包括公路普通貨物的運(yùn)輸、倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)、裝卸、加工、包裝、配送及相關(guān)信息處理服務(wù)和有關(guān)咨詢(xún)業(yè)務(wù)、國(guó)內(nèi)貨運(yùn)代理業(yè)務(wù)、利用計(jì)算機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)進(jìn)行管理和運(yùn)作物流業(yè)務(wù)?！栋才拧分嘘P(guān)于開(kāi)放物流市場(chǎng)的先行優(yōu)惠待遇項(xiàng)目是非?？犊?，與外商投資企業(yè)在中國(guó)入世議定書(shū)一攬子承諾的同類(lèi)項(xiàng)目下所獲得的待遇相比，這些安排顯得更為WTO關(guān)于國(guó)民待遇的基本原則，即：某個(gè)成員獲得的好處應(yīng)該向所有成員開(kāi)放。中國(guó)對(duì)國(guó)內(nèi)企業(yè)的一貫保護(hù)阻礙了市場(chǎng)化改革的進(jìn)行。除了屈指可數(shù)的例外情況，國(guó)內(nèi)企業(yè)在物流和運(yùn)輸行業(yè)仍然占主導(dǎo)地位。通常情況下，外商投資企業(yè)疲于應(yīng)付繁瑣的海關(guān)和檢疫規(guī)定以及進(jìn)口貨物必須履行的繁雜手續(xù)。材料的浪費(fèi)、新技術(shù)應(yīng)用緩慢、將產(chǎn)品運(yùn)往市場(chǎng)的周期長(zhǎng)等現(xiàn)象普遍存在。國(guó)有企業(yè)和小型私營(yíng)生產(chǎn)商都在努力縮短采購(gòu)周期，安全問(wèn)題長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)一直困擾中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)物流和運(yùn)輸行業(yè)。機(jī)構(gòu)開(kāi)始更多地介入市場(chǎng)活動(dòng)，針對(duì)陸路運(yùn)輸實(shí)施卡車(chē)載重標(biāo)準(zhǔn)、運(yùn)輸許可標(biāo)準(zhǔn)、準(zhǔn)運(yùn)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)和道路載重標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，因此，物流和運(yùn)輸行業(yè)取得了長(zhǎng)足進(jìn)展。雖然這么做增加了卡車(chē)運(yùn)輸?shù)某杀?，但我們非常高興看到道路上嚴(yán)重超載的車(chē)輛數(shù)量明顯減少。然而，這種令人振奮的進(jìn)步并不是真實(shí)情況的全面反映。中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)運(yùn)營(yíng)商在實(shí)施健康、安全和環(huán)境標(biāo)準(zhǔn)等方面仍然問(wèn)題重重。在農(nóng)業(yè)部門(mén)，非冷凍運(yùn)輸和中間儲(chǔ)存所導(dǎo)致的高損壞率提高了中國(guó)消費(fèi)者購(gòu)買(mǎi)主食的成本。雖然中國(guó)已高度重視基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施的發(fā)展，但對(duì)食品和其他安全敏感產(chǎn)品的經(jīng)營(yíng)制定適當(dāng)規(guī)定的重要性被忽視了。中國(guó)的冷凍運(yùn)輸系統(tǒng)尚未開(kāi)始發(fā)展，這是中國(guó)在建設(shè)安全有效的分銷(xiāo)系統(tǒng)時(shí)所面臨的主要障礙之一。中國(guó)的入世承諾需要注意的是在中國(guó)開(kāi)放市場(chǎng)的入世承諾中物流并沒(méi)有入WTO前后的不同階段對(duì)物流行業(yè)各環(huán)節(jié)外商投資的監(jiān)管缺乏統(tǒng)一性，這點(diǎn)已導(dǎo)致市場(chǎng)開(kāi)放的局限性，并增加了投資的難度。中國(guó)并沒(méi)有專(zhuān)門(mén)在物流標(biāo)題下做出市場(chǎng)開(kāi)放承諾，而是對(duì)范圍中的多個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)做出了單獨(dú)承諾，包括運(yùn)輸、貨運(yùn)代很難確定哪些承諾適用于本行業(yè)的參與者1。而中國(guó)針對(duì)國(guó)內(nèi)外投資的監(jiān)管制度則使情況進(jìn)一步復(fù)雜化。這種制度一方面出臺(tái)了把物流看作一個(gè)包羅萬(wàn)象的服務(wù)行業(yè)的相關(guān)規(guī)定，另一方面又保留了單獨(dú)適用于物流行業(yè)內(nèi)部不同環(huán)節(jié)的眾多規(guī)定。知》規(guī)定，外商投資物流企業(yè)應(yīng)該“能夠根據(jù)實(shí)際需要，選擇對(duì)貨物的運(yùn)輸、倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)、裝卸、加工、包裝、配送、信息處理以及進(jìn)出口等環(huán)節(jié)實(shí)施有機(jī)結(jié)合，形成比較完整的供應(yīng)鏈，為用戶(hù)提供多功能一體化服務(wù)”。進(jìn)行了區(qū)分：(1)從事國(guó)際物流業(yè)務(wù)的外商投資物流企業(yè)(允許從事國(guó)際貿(mào)(2)從事第三方物流業(yè)務(wù)的外商投資物流企業(yè)(允許從事國(guó)內(nèi)貨運(yùn)代理業(yè)務(wù))。外商投資物流企業(yè)應(yīng)采取中外合資、津、上海和重慶四個(gè)直轄市以及浙江、江蘇、廣東三省及深圳經(jīng)濟(jì)特區(qū)(這些地點(diǎn)均未在中國(guó)的入世承諾中出現(xiàn)過(guò))；注冊(cè)資本不得低于500萬(wàn)美元。中國(guó)的物流行業(yè)高度分散、且未實(shí)現(xiàn)無(wú)縫覆蓋，而上述規(guī)定結(jié)合在一起形成了一系列限制性的投資標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，不僅嚴(yán)重打擊了外商對(duì)這一行業(yè)進(jìn)行投資的積極性，而且在促進(jìn)物流行業(yè)必要的發(fā)展和重組方面自然也是收效甚商務(wù)部頒布的《外商投資國(guó)際貨運(yùn)代理業(yè)管理辦法》于代理業(yè)而非物流行業(yè)的外商投資進(jìn)行管理。外國(guó)投資者投資設(shè)立中外合資、中外合作的國(guó)際貨運(yùn)代理企業(yè)，外國(guó)合營(yíng)者外國(guó)投資的國(guó)際貨運(yùn)代理企業(yè)只能經(jīng)營(yíng)下列部分或全部業(yè)務(wù)：“(一)訂艙(租船、包機(jī)、包艙)、托運(yùn)、倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)、包裝；(二)貨物的監(jiān)裝、監(jiān)卸、集裝箱拼裝拆箱、分撥、中轉(zhuǎn)及相、集裝箱拼箱)；(七)國(guó)際快遞(不合私人信函和縣級(jí)以上黨政的寄遞業(yè)務(wù))；(八)咨詢(xún)及其他國(guó)際貨運(yùn)代理業(yè)務(wù)”。而這些業(yè)務(wù)在某種程度上是與上述外商投資物流企業(yè)可以提供的業(yè)務(wù)相重疊的。中國(guó)貿(mào)易和基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施的進(jìn)一步發(fā)展吸引了許多外國(guó)物流和運(yùn)輸企業(yè)的目光。然而，中國(guó)分階段開(kāi)放物流業(yè)務(wù)的緩慢且各不相同的時(shí)間表(CEPA除外)仍然在抑制外商進(jìn)一步參與物流行業(yè)。總體而言，中國(guó)的物流改革和發(fā)展缺乏跨部門(mén)的統(tǒng)一性，這不僅使長(zhǎng)期存在的市場(chǎng)分散化問(wèn)題得以繼續(xù)滋長(zhǎng)，而且，在整個(gè)中國(guó)都大幅度增加了物流營(yíng)運(yùn)的不必要的成本。非關(guān)稅壁壘、缺乏透明度以及規(guī)定的實(shí)施缺乏連貫性等問(wèn)題進(jìn)一步阻礙了物流行業(yè)的發(fā)展。美國(guó)商會(huì)認(rèn)為，中國(guó)可以通過(guò)鼓勵(lì)投資、簡(jiǎn)化注冊(cè)和監(jiān)管要求以及取消地區(qū)貿(mào)易壁壘等手段來(lái)改善物流和運(yùn)輸服務(wù)。朝此目標(biāo)邁進(jìn)的重要一步是將目前各自為政的外運(yùn)和內(nèi)運(yùn)行業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)并入中國(guó)運(yùn)輸與物流管理理事會(huì)，以便后者代表整個(gè)行業(yè)與監(jiān)管部門(mén)就擬制定的規(guī)則開(kāi)展合作。物流行業(yè)持續(xù)而分散的改革以及物流行業(yè)內(nèi)部各環(huán)節(jié)分別進(jìn)行的改革最終起到了阻止外商為建立無(wú)縫覆蓋的全國(guó)性運(yùn)營(yíng)商進(jìn)行適當(dāng)投資的作用。而無(wú)縫覆蓋全國(guó)性運(yùn)營(yíng)商的建立將提供全方位的物流、運(yùn)輸和輔助服務(wù)，這些服務(wù)以降為現(xiàn)實(shí)，必將與外貿(mào)(進(jìn)出口)行業(yè)和整個(gè)零售和批發(fā)行業(yè)的改革相得益彰。考慮到中國(guó)作為世界最重要的制造業(yè)基地的地位，考慮到對(duì)華投資已達(dá)到驚人的創(chuàng)記錄水平，考慮到貿(mào)易權(quán)和分銷(xiāo)權(quán)已經(jīng)開(kāi)放，考慮到中國(guó)正日益重視將貿(mào)易和投將進(jìn)一步努力，推進(jìn)對(duì)運(yùn)輸和物流行業(yè)的總體改革，實(shí)現(xiàn)以上概括的種種好處。下表總結(jié)了中國(guó)入世承諾中與物流服務(wù)有關(guān)的內(nèi)容，還有這些內(nèi)容在中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)立法中的反映，以及迄今為止中國(guó)在履行承諾和實(shí)施法律方面所做的努力(*)：服務(wù)領(lǐng)域運(yùn)輸服務(wù)海運(yùn)服運(yùn)和客入世承諾12日12日日12日日允許外資在合資企業(yè)中擁有少數(shù)股海運(yùn)理允許外貨服資在合運(yùn)報(bào)關(guān)中擁有理服許外資企業(yè)中擁有多數(shù)股資股比不超過(guò)49%。鐵路運(yùn)允許外輸服務(wù)資在合資企業(yè)中擁有少數(shù)股道路運(yùn)允許外輸服務(wù)資在合資企業(yè)中擁有少數(shù)股允許外資在合資企業(yè)中擁有多數(shù)獨(dú)資子公司股允許外資在合資企業(yè)中擁有多數(shù)獨(dú)資子公司股允許設(shè)立外資獨(dú)資子公司貨物運(yùn)允許外輸代理資股比服務(wù)不超過(guò)有至少連續(xù)3低注冊(cè)資本應(yīng)不少于*自11月許外資超過(guò)75%；許外在合企業(yè)擁有數(shù)獨(dú)子公支機(jī)在注資本求上受?chē)?guó)待遇司股(50萬(wàn)權(quán)；人民許外資國(guó)經(jīng)營(yíng)在最低注允許設(shè)冊(cè)資本要立外資求上享受獨(dú)資子國(guó)民待遇公司萬(wàn)人民美元；超過(guò)來(lái)規(guī)定位5年后，可建立第二家業(yè)在雙方注冊(cè)資本均*自到位起合資設(shè)立分企業(yè)在支機(jī)設(shè)立一只分支建立第機(jī)構(gòu)，二家合資企業(yè)注冊(cè)資本應(yīng)萬(wàn)美倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)服允許外務(wù)資在合資企業(yè)中擁有少數(shù)股包裝服允許外務(wù)資在合資企業(yè)中擁有允許外資在合資企業(yè)中擁有多數(shù)獨(dú)資子公司股路運(yùn)運(yùn)代理和海運(yùn)規(guī)定中得到規(guī)允許外資在合資企業(yè)中擁有允許設(shè)立外資獨(dú)資子公司；允許設(shè)立外資獨(dú)資子公司；少數(shù)股多數(shù)獨(dú)司股物流服無(wú)承務(wù)諾；物流服比不超設(shè)立從事第三方物流服務(wù)的裝卸裝卸服務(wù)加工服務(wù)配送服務(wù)理服務(wù)無(wú)無(wú)無(wú)無(wú)承承承承中國(guó)美國(guó)商會(huì)和上海美國(guó)商會(huì)認(rèn)為，迄今為止中國(guó)履行了有關(guān)的入世承諾。遺憾的是，本行業(yè)所存在的問(wèn)題已經(jīng)超出入世一攬子承諾的范疇；當(dāng)然，我們歡迎中國(guó)政府在物流地理限制隨著中國(guó)貿(mào)易額的不斷增加，本國(guó)企業(yè)和跨國(guó)公司都急需高效率有能力的運(yùn)輸和物流企業(yè)來(lái)幫助他們?cè)谥袊?guó)各地分銷(xiāo)貨物。遺憾的是，根據(jù)中國(guó)的許可規(guī)定，企業(yè)必須在其開(kāi)展運(yùn)營(yíng)的每個(gè)省份分別取得經(jīng)營(yíng)許可。在許多地方，外省的卡車(chē)不得進(jìn)城，而且必須繳納本地卡車(chē)無(wú)須繳納的過(guò)路費(fèi)。在許多情況下，由于這些限制，外地卡車(chē)必須把貨物卸下，重新裝上本地的運(yùn)輸車(chē)輛，方可獲準(zhǔn)通行。中國(guó)應(yīng)該學(xué)習(xí)大多數(shù)國(guó)家的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)做法，允許運(yùn)輸和物流公司在統(tǒng)一的全國(guó)性經(jīng)營(yíng)許可制度下，而不是在目前這種繁瑣的各地分別許可的制度下開(kāi)展運(yùn)營(yíng)。行業(yè)磋商和監(jiān)管中國(guó)經(jīng)常在沒(méi)有發(fā)出預(yù)告或公開(kāi)征求意見(jiàn)的情況下頒布有關(guān)法規(guī)，而實(shí)施細(xì)則的發(fā)布更是要在相關(guān)法規(guī)出臺(tái)后好使得企業(yè)很難遵守。中國(guó)政府若能邀請(qǐng)有關(guān)專(zhuān)家參與法規(guī)的起草過(guò)程，并在法規(guī)頒布后投入更多的時(shí)間來(lái)直接向受影響的公司解釋新規(guī)定，則可以避免發(fā)生這些困難。另一個(gè)問(wèn)題是，中國(guó)政府的監(jiān)管部門(mén)多頭管理現(xiàn)象非常國(guó)家質(zhì)量監(jiān)督檢驗(yàn)檢疫總局理局和眾多運(yùn)輸主管部門(mén)。這種情況所造成的復(fù)雜局面和工作延誤，與政府提高效率的既定目標(biāo)背道而一些旨在加快進(jìn)口手檢疫部門(mén)沒(méi)有同時(shí)加快其相關(guān)程序，這些辦法的效應(yīng)并沒(méi)有得到體現(xiàn)，進(jìn)口商的進(jìn)口手續(xù)遲遲無(wú)法辦理完畢的現(xiàn)象仍然運(yùn)離之前，貨物必須完成清關(guān)手續(xù)。為此，海關(guān)已為進(jìn)出口文件處理建立7檢驗(yàn)和完稅憑證的開(kāi)具只能在正常工作時(shí)間進(jìn)行，大部分貨物仍然無(wú)法從這個(gè)新政策中受益。因此，為了實(shí)現(xiàn)高效率報(bào)關(guān)目的，海關(guān)應(yīng)該在正常工作時(shí)間之外提供全方位報(bào)關(guān)服務(wù)，而各口岸的計(jì)劃部門(mén)應(yīng)該延長(zhǎng)工作時(shí)間，結(jié)束目前較早下班的做法。中國(guó)的關(guān)稅稅則分類(lèi)的透明度正日益提高，不斷與國(guó)際標(biāo)準(zhǔn)接軌。然而，許多分類(lèi)仍然模糊不清。因此，中國(guó)應(yīng)該更新分類(lèi)程序，并恪守國(guó)際標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，確保關(guān)稅的分布更趨公平合理，并避免因分類(lèi)而引起的糾紛。雖然電子口岸制度的目標(biāo)是在所有相關(guān)政府部門(mén)(安全部門(mén)、檢疫部門(mén)、衛(wèi)生部門(mén)和財(cái)政部門(mén))之間為所有報(bào)關(guān)手續(xù)提供統(tǒng)一的平臺(tái)，但真正把該制度付諸實(shí)施的只有海關(guān)一家。目前，中國(guó)仍然沒(méi)有建立協(xié)調(diào)的報(bào)關(guān)程序，進(jìn)口商仍然必須從各部門(mén)分別獲取各相關(guān)項(xiàng)目的審批。中國(guó)應(yīng)該建立一所有參與海關(guān)監(jiān)管程序的政府部門(mén)都應(yīng)該在合作基礎(chǔ)上與運(yùn)輸行業(yè)所有參與者共同探討擬實(shí)施的規(guī)定的影響，并允許企業(yè)為即將來(lái)臨的變革做好準(zhǔn)備。在有些城市，海關(guān)已為某些類(lèi)別的企業(yè)建立商品預(yù)分類(lèi)業(yè)務(wù)。這種業(yè)務(wù)允許企業(yè)通過(guò)創(chuàng)建數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)，對(duì)其所進(jìn)口的所在這些企業(yè)進(jìn)口貨物時(shí)，海關(guān)可以應(yīng)用為所有已列項(xiàng)目預(yù)先確定的分類(lèi)。這么做有助于加快載有不同商品的集裝箱的報(bào)關(guān)速度。遺憾的是，到現(xiàn)在為止，這種計(jì)劃的實(shí)施范圍非常有限。我們認(rèn)為，這種計(jì)劃應(yīng)該擴(kuò)展應(yīng)用于更多的企業(yè)，而分類(lèi)的談判過(guò)程應(yīng)該加速。此外，一旦分類(lèi)在一家海關(guān)得到確認(rèn)，就應(yīng)該自動(dòng)延伸應(yīng)用到全國(guó)各地所有其他海關(guān)。電子數(shù)據(jù)交換(EDI)連接在派人提交紙質(zhì)報(bào)關(guān)單的同時(shí)提交電子報(bào)關(guān)單。海關(guān)應(yīng)該全面接受以電子形式提交的報(bào)關(guān)單，以提高處理效率。我們?cè)诖嘶A(chǔ)上進(jìn)一步建議，海關(guān)允許企業(yè)在報(bào)關(guān)后以電子形式繳納關(guān)稅。貿(mào)易商和海關(guān)之間的直接EDI連接應(yīng)該允許合格的企業(yè)和代理公司在報(bào)關(guān)后繳納關(guān)稅和其他進(jìn)口環(huán)節(jié)稅款。也就是說(shuō)，符合條件的企業(yè)和代理公司應(yīng)該能夠在繳納關(guān)稅之前獲得海關(guān)對(duì)其裝運(yùn)的貨物放行。取消跨海關(guān)報(bào)關(guān)要求目前，海關(guān)總署根據(jù)各地海關(guān)所處理的貨物的金額對(duì)后者的業(yè)績(jī)和預(yù)算進(jìn)行評(píng)估，這種做法帶來(lái)了不少棘手問(wèn)題。比如，海關(guān)總署要求內(nèi)地海關(guān)監(jiān)督到達(dá)其他口岸的貨物。但貨物應(yīng)該在入境口岸完成報(bào)關(guān)手續(xù)，不應(yīng)該要求將貨物保稅轉(zhuǎn)移至最終目的地。兩家海關(guān)對(duì)同一批貨物進(jìn)行監(jiān)督將導(dǎo)致重復(fù)勞動(dòng)，并與有關(guān)規(guī)定的解釋發(fā)生抵觸，從而大幅度延長(zhǎng)貨物向內(nèi)地目的地的轉(zhuǎn)口時(shí)間。運(yùn)輸保險(xiǎn)大多數(shù)跨國(guó)公司外包其保險(xiǎn)業(yè)務(wù)，但由國(guó)際保險(xiǎn)公司提供的保險(xiǎn)在中國(guó)是無(wú)效的。因此，企業(yè)在中國(guó)運(yùn)輸貨物時(shí)必我們希望中國(guó)政府承認(rèn)國(guó)際保險(xiǎn)公司簽發(fā)的超額保險(xiǎn)憑證。危險(xiǎn)物品的運(yùn)輸和食品的標(biāo)簽中國(guó)對(duì)運(yùn)輸和包裝危險(xiǎn)物品(DG)的嚴(yán)格規(guī)定已開(kāi)始在一些領(lǐng)域，尤其是在進(jìn)出口領(lǐng)域，得到更為嚴(yán)格的落實(shí)。從事危險(xiǎn)物品運(yùn)輸?shù)墓驹诋?dāng)?shù)孬@得許可，接受監(jiān)督。從技術(shù)上講，達(dá)到一定標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的公司都可以獲得運(yùn)輸危險(xiǎn)物品的許際操作中，只有擁有強(qiáng)大政府關(guān)系的公司才能獲如，在2003年，上海只有一家公司獲得了運(yùn)輸危險(xiǎn)物品的許可—而這家公司根本沒(méi)有從事此業(yè)務(wù)的驗(yàn)。授予許可時(shí)應(yīng)該依據(jù)申請(qǐng)人的經(jīng)驗(yàn)和長(zhǎng)處，并通過(guò)對(duì)企業(yè)的設(shè)備維護(hù)記錄、司機(jī)安全記錄以及為司機(jī)和卡車(chē)所建立的健康、安全和環(huán)境程序進(jìn)行檢查來(lái)落實(shí)許可的頒發(fā)工作。我們認(rèn)為，為了保證安全，應(yīng)由一家公正的全國(guó)性檢驗(yàn)機(jī)構(gòu)對(duì)所有已獲準(zhǔn)運(yùn)輸危險(xiǎn)物品的公司進(jìn)行定期檢查，以確保這些公司連貫一致地遵守培訓(xùn)和安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。各省對(duì)冷凍物流系統(tǒng)安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的應(yīng)用千差萬(wàn)別，導(dǎo)致了驚人的高損壞率和數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)的食物中毒事件。盡管最近情況有所變化，但中國(guó)的消費(fèi)者經(jīng)常成為運(yùn)載不當(dāng)或“溫控失新的標(biāo)簽制度要求在對(duì)貨物進(jìn)行檢驗(yàn)和實(shí)際運(yùn)輸之前先獲得省和中央一級(jí)的標(biāo)簽準(zhǔn)。從理論上講，審批過(guò)程不應(yīng)超過(guò)三個(gè)月，但實(shí)際的時(shí)間要長(zhǎng)得多，因而經(jīng)常對(duì)等候進(jìn)入分銷(xiāo)系統(tǒng)的食品產(chǎn)生有害影響。與食品標(biāo)簽問(wèn)題一樣，圍繞中國(guó)強(qiáng)制認(rèn)證(CCC)標(biāo)志的家必須接受中國(guó)檢驗(yàn)人員的檢驗(yàn)。這種做法不僅大幅度增加了成本，帶來(lái)了嚴(yán)重的延誤，而且，在大多數(shù)情況下，如果中國(guó)與其他國(guó)家達(dá)成協(xié)議，承認(rèn)境外廠家所適用的國(guó)際標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，那么，根本沒(méi)有必要采取這種做法?？爝f服務(wù)貿(mào)易和投資的增長(zhǎng)呼喚及時(shí)的貨物和文件發(fā)送服務(wù)，快遞服務(wù)業(yè)的重要性也因此日趨突出。為了提供高效率的服務(wù)，快地服務(wù)企業(yè)必須控制取貨和送貨上門(mén)的服務(wù)程序，必須有能力追蹤所運(yùn)貨物，并有能力為報(bào)關(guān)提供方便。中國(guó)的企業(yè)若希望全面參與全球供應(yīng)鏈，并在區(qū)域和全球競(jìng)爭(zhēng)中占據(jù)優(yōu)勢(shì)地位，上述服務(wù)是非常有必要的。郵政改革和新《郵政法》國(guó)務(wù)院法制辦(LAO)已花了兩年多的時(shí)間起草新的《郵政法》。同時(shí)，國(guó)家發(fā)展與改革委員會(huì)(NDRC)在研究對(duì)包括郵政儲(chǔ)蓄和郵遞服務(wù)在內(nèi)的郵政系統(tǒng)進(jìn)行總體改革和重組。據(jù)報(bào)道，國(guó)家發(fā)改委已將相關(guān)建議提交國(guó)務(wù)院，而法制辦仍然在為起草新法律而努力。郵政普遍服務(wù)基金。新的《郵政法》草案針對(duì)快遞業(yè)的收入征收一種全新的未具體說(shuō)明的費(fèi)用(細(xì)節(jié)尚待確定)，以支郵政普遍服務(wù)義務(wù)。任何行業(yè)(在本案例中是快遞業(yè))都沒(méi)有義務(wù)資助政府履行其提供普遍郵政服務(wù)的責(zé)任，尤其是在普遍郵政服務(wù)已由郵政專(zhuān)營(yíng)的情況下更沒(méi)有郵政專(zhuān)營(yíng)的定義。草案的建議中包括對(duì)郵政專(zhuān)營(yíng)的定義，由郵政企業(yè)專(zhuān)營(yíng)。這一定義若成為法律條款內(nèi)容，將違反中國(guó)入世議定書(shū)中以水平承諾方式規(guī)定的反壓價(jià)條款。快遞行類(lèi)似于1997年歐盟采納的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)?？爝f行業(yè)已提三倍于航空信的價(jià)格這兩個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來(lái)界定，隨后還可以分階段下調(diào)。國(guó)際快遞業(yè)反對(duì)在這些規(guī)則和其他規(guī)則上對(duì)國(guó)際和國(guó)內(nèi)快遞運(yùn)營(yíng)商實(shí)施區(qū)別對(duì)待的做缺乏獨(dú)立監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)。如果沒(méi)有獨(dú)立的監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)，沒(méi)有在法用。雖然草案的修正案提及設(shè)立獨(dú)立監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)的必要性，而且高層官員也已表示獨(dú)立性做出明確規(guī)定。并賦予了郵政監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)新的、比較寬泛的監(jiān)督、檢查和懲罰構(gòu)的情況下更有可能被濫用。快遞的海關(guān)監(jiān)管近幾年，海關(guān)總署在實(shí)現(xiàn)報(bào)關(guān)手續(xù)的合理化，更新自動(dòng)化系統(tǒng)并提高海關(guān)官員專(zhuān)業(yè)水平方面均已取得進(jìn)步。除了上文針對(duì)海關(guān)提出的建議，以下問(wèn)題也需要進(jìn)一步得到關(guān)注：目前，對(duì)于低值快遞貨物，在海關(guān)最終放行前必須提供紙質(zhì)報(bào)關(guān)單、空運(yùn)單和發(fā)票復(fù)印件。這種做法導(dǎo)致了不必要的EDI出批準(zhǔn)放行指示之后立即對(duì)貨物放行，不再要求企業(yè)提供進(jìn)一步的紙質(zhì)在機(jī)場(chǎng)內(nèi)部建立快遞裝卸中心(EHU)。目前，中國(guó)的大多數(shù)快遞處理中心位于機(jī)場(chǎng)外面，并被當(dāng)作二流海關(guān)保稅倉(cāng)庫(kù)對(duì)待。這就增加了貨物往返機(jī)場(chǎng)的時(shí)間，也需要額外的保稅業(yè)的主要要求，更高效的海關(guān)監(jiān)管、更短的周轉(zhuǎn)時(shí)間以及在快遞裝卸中心內(nèi)部對(duì)集裝箱進(jìn)行重裝和翻新的許可都具有至關(guān)重要的意義。根據(jù)金額限制進(jìn)行分類(lèi)。海關(guān)應(yīng)該把貨物金額作為分類(lèi)標(biāo)快遞業(yè)的監(jiān)管問(wèn)題全國(guó)性許可。為了向中國(guó)客戶(hù)提供最高質(zhì)量、最具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力的服務(wù)，外商應(yīng)獲允投資國(guó)際貨運(yùn)代理業(yè)和快遞服務(wù)業(yè)，并依照統(tǒng)一的全國(guó)性許可在全世界和全國(guó)范圍內(nèi)提供全方位的服務(wù)。目前，中國(guó)要求國(guó)際快遞公司在其開(kāi)展運(yùn)營(yíng)的每個(gè)城市分別獲得當(dāng)?shù)刂鞴懿块T(mén)的許可，這種做法使企業(yè)效率低下、不堪重負(fù)。統(tǒng)一的中央審批，也許再加上在地方主管部門(mén)進(jìn)行登記注冊(cè)的要求，就足以實(shí)現(xiàn)此方面的監(jiān)管目標(biāo)。境口岸報(bào)關(guān)時(shí)通用的單一許可。允許外商投資國(guó)際貨運(yùn)代理公司在全國(guó)范圍內(nèi)提供國(guó)與進(jìn)出口商建立合作伙伴關(guān)系，以便就新法律法規(guī)的起草征求商界意見(jiàn)，并評(píng)估法律草案的影響；全面落實(shí)EDI制度，實(shí)現(xiàn)亞太經(jīng)濟(jì)合作組織(APEC)關(guān)于“無(wú)紙貿(mào)易環(huán)境”的構(gòu)想，并加快支持無(wú)紙貿(mào)易的法律法供一站式服務(wù)；承認(rèn)國(guó)際保險(xiǎn)公司的超額保險(xiǎn)憑證；擴(kuò)大“A類(lèi)”進(jìn)口商可以享受的待遇，包括商品預(yù)分類(lèi)和貨物放行后再繳納關(guān)稅。1最近幾年，涉及物流行業(yè)內(nèi)部開(kāi)放的規(guī)定主要包括：在鐵路投資方面，鐵道部和外經(jīng)貿(mào)部聯(lián)合發(fā)布了《外商投資鐵路于引進(jìn)外商投資的新的外商投資：從事國(guó)際海運(yùn)的合資企業(yè)、國(guó)際船運(yùn)代理、國(guó)際海運(yùn)管理、國(guó)際海運(yùn)物倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)業(yè)務(wù)的外商獨(dú)資企業(yè)等。Transportation&LogisticsTheformationofanefficientdomestictransportationandlogisticssectorisrecognizedbyChinaascriticaltoitsownmodernization,acutelynecessarytocomplementanever-growinganddynamiceconomybycreatingtheinfrastructureofanintegratednationalmarket.PriortoWTOaccession,China'stransportationandlogisticssectorwasfragmentedintomultiplelocalandregionalmarkets,withlocalprotectionismimpedingcommerce.Manyofthesebarriersstillremain,andwillpreventrealizationofthefullbenefitsofWTOaccessiontotheeconomyunlesstheyareremoved.Severalimportantreformsduring2003-2004includedtheenforcementoftruckingweightstandardsandtheinstitutionofthefirstroundofmarket-entrymechanismsforforeign-investedenterprisesinthedomestictransportationandlogisticssector.Thepast12monthsalsosawtheestablishmentoftheSocietyofTransportationandLogisticsundertheauspicesoftheChinaCommunicationsandTransportationAssociation,withtheobjectiveofbringingtogethercompanies,universitydepartments,andresearchanddevelopmententitiesengagedinthewidespectrumoftransportationandlogisticsactivities,includingroad,railway,aviation,watertransportation,andrelatedinformationtechnology,toactasaconduitfortheflowoftechnologybetweenChineseandoverseaslogisticstechnologydevelopers.AnothersignificantdevelopmentwastheStandardizationAdministrationofChina'sAugust2003establishmentofanationalcommitteefortheformulationofstandardsforthelogisticsindustry.WithmembershipdrawnfrombodiessuchastheMOFCOM,PRCStandardizationInstitute,andtheMinistryforScienceandTechnology,themissionofthenationalcommitteeisprimarilytoformulatestandardsforsystemsandinformationmanagement,pluselectronicdatastandards—suchstandardsbeingdesignedtopromoteuniformitywithinthevariouslogisticssub-sectors,therebyderivingobviousbenefitsfortheentireindustry.Market-orientedreformishinderedbythecontinuedprotectionofdomesticcompanies.Domesticplayersstilldominatethefieldwithfewexceptions.Foreigncompaniesareoftenlefttograpplewithonerouscustomsandquarantinepoliciesaswellascumbersomeprocessesforimportinggoods.Thesectorischaracterizedbymaterialwastage,slowadoptionofnewtechnologies,andprotracteddeliverytimesinbringingproductstomarket.State-ownedenterprisesandsmallprivatemanufacturersstruggletoreducepurchasingcycles,improvecashflowliquidity,andutilizejust-intimeinventorymanagement.Safetyissueshavelongplaguedthedomestictransportationandlogisticssector.Significantprogresshasbeenmadeoverthepastyearastransportenforcementagencieshavebegunsteppinguptheirvisibilityinmarketactivities,enforcingtruckloadweight,licensing,permits,androadcapacitystandardsforoverlandtransport.Althoughthishasmadetrucktransportationmoreexpensive,wearegladtoseefeweregregiouslyoverloadedvehiclesonthehighways.Despitethisencouragingprogress,implementationofhealth,safety,andenvironmentalstandardsbylocaloperatorsremainsproblematic.Intheagriculturalsector,highratesofspoilageduetonon-refrigeratedtransportandintermediatestorageraisethecostofstaplegoodstoChineseconsumers.AlthoughChinahasgivenhighprioritytoinfrastructuredevelopment,ithasneglectedprovidingtheappropriateregulationsforhandlingfoodandothersafetysensitiveproducts.China'scoldchainhasnotyetbeguntodevelopandisamajordeficiencyinthedevelopmentofasafeandefficientdistributionsystem.China'sWTOCommitmentsItisimportanttonotethatlogisticsisnottreatedasadistinctcategoryunderChina'sWTOmarketliberalizationcommitments.Thenon-uniformityofforeigninvestmentregulation,bothpre-and-postWTOaccession,inthevarioussub-sectorswithinlogisticsatdifferenttimes,hasledtobothlimitedmarketliberalizationandinvestmentdifficulties.Ratherthangrantingmarketliberalizationcommitmentsunderthesingleheadingoflogistics,Chinamadeseparatecommitmentswithrespecttonumerous,distinctsub-sectorsfallingwithintheremitoflogistics,includingtransportation,freightforwarding,warehousing,packaging,andmaritimeservices.Determiningwhichcommitmentsareapplicabletoindustryparticipantscanthusbedifficult.1ItisfurthercomplicatedbyChina'sdomesticandforeigninvestmentregulatoryregime,whichprovidesregulationstreatinglogisticsasanallinclusiveservicesector,whilesimultaneouslyretainingnumerousregulationsthatapplyseparatelytoindividualsub-sectorswithinlogistics.Forexample,onJune20,2002,thethenMOFTECissueditsNoticeonRelevantIssuesConcerningtheExperimentalEstablishmentofForeign-InvestedLogisticsEnterprises,whichprovidedthataforeign-investedlogisticscompany"shall,accordingtoactualrequirements,beabletoprovideclientswithmulti-functionalintegratedsupply-chainservicesofstorage,loadingandunloading,processing,packaging,delivery,information-handling,importandexport,orotherfieldsinacompletenetworkforunifiedcommodityshipment."TheNoticedistinguishedtwogeneralcategoriesofforeign-investedlogisticsoperators:(a)InternationalLogistics(foreigntradepermitted)and(b)Third-PartyLogistics(domesticfreightforwardingpermitted).Itrestrictedinvestmenttojointventures,restrictedgeographiccoveragetoBeijing,Tianjin,Shanghai,Chongqing,Zhejiang,Jiangsu,Guangdong,andShenzhen(noneofwhichappearedinChina'sWTOcommitments),andestablishedaminimumregisteredcapitalrequirementofUS$5million.Thiscollectivelyconstitutedaseriesofrestrictiveinvestmentcriteriathateffectivelyservedtodiscourageforeigninvestmentinthishighlyfragmentedandun-seamlesssector,and,ofcourse,achievedlittleintermsofpromotingitsnecessarydevelopmentandrestructuring.EffectiveJanuary10,2003,MOFCOMpromulgatedtheAdministrativeMeasuresonForeign-InvestedInternationalFreightForwardingAgencies.Theseregulationsfocusonthetreatmentofforeigninvestmentinthefreightforwardingsector,ratherthanthelogisticssector.Foreigninvestmentinfreightforwardingisrestrictedtojointventureswiththeforeigninvestor'sequitybeinglimitedto75percent,coupledwithaminimumregisteredcapitalrequirementofUS$1million.Aforeign-investedfreightforwardermayonlyundertake“booking;warehousing;packing;supervising(un)loading;containerstuffing;short-distancetransport;arrangingcustomsclearanceandinsurance;documentationandsettlementofaccountsincludingpayingfreightcharges;actasagentforinternationalexhibitions;personalgoodsandtransitcargo;arrangeinternationalmultimode/containertransportation;internationalexpressdelivery;andconsultancy.”Tosomeextent,thisrangeofservicesoverlapswiththeservicesthatmaybeofferedbyforeign-investedlogisticsoperatorsasdescribedabove.Increasedtradeandinfrastructuredevelopmenthasattractedtheinterestofmanyforeignlogisticsandtransportationplayers,butthelengthytimeline,withtheexceptionofCEPA,forphasedWTOliberalizationoflogisticsservicescontinuestodelaygreaterforeignparticipation.Overall,thelackofcross-sectoraluniformityinreformanddevelopmenthasencouragedmarketfragmentationandhasneedlesslyaddedtothecostsoflogisticsoperationsthroughoutChina.Non-tariffbarriers,lackoftransparency,andinconsistentlyappliedregulationsfurtherhinderdevelopmentofthesector.OurChambersbelievethatChinashouldimprovelogisticsandtransportationservicesbyencouragingmoreinvestment,streamliningregistrationandregulatoryrequirements,andremovingregionaltradebarriers.OnesteptowardachievingthatgoalwouldbetocombinethecurrentlyseparateforeignanddomesticindustrycouncilsintoaChinaTransportation&LogisticsManagementCouncil,whichwouldrepresenttheindustryasawholewhenworkingwithregulatoryauthoritiesonproposedrules.Thereformcurrentlytakingplaceinthelogisticssector,andtheseparatereformofitsconstituentsubsectors,hasultimatelyservedtopreventmeaningfulforeigninvestmentintheestablishmentofseamlessnationwideoperators.Establishmentofsuchoperatorsofferacomprehensiverangeoflogistics,transportationandancillaryservicesthatwouldtargettheachievementoflowerlogisticscosts,greaterefficiencyandeconomiesofscale,andwouldcertainlycomplementthedramaticreformsintheforeigntrade(importandexport)sector,aswellasthewholesaleandretaildistributionsectors.HavingregardforChina'spositionasaleadingmanufacturer—withinvestmentinChinareachingstaggeringrecordlevels,withtradinganddistributionrightsalreadyliberalized,andwithanincreasedemphasisontheneedtoexpandtradeandinvestmenttoChina'svastinteriorandwesternregions—itishopedthatimprovementswillbemadeinstreamliningthecollectivereformanddevelopmentofthetransportationandlogisticssectorleadingtothebenefitsoutlinedabove.BelowisasummaryoftheWTOcommitmentsinthespecificserviceareasidentifiedwithinthelogisticscategoryinChina'sdomesticlegislation,aswellasalistofChina'simplementationeffortstodate(*):SERVICEAREATransportServicesaritimeServicesACCESSIONMinorityFIEsallowed;200220032004(freight&Chairmanpassengers)andGMappointedbyChineseparty.aritimeCargohandlingMajorityFIEsallowed.MajorityFIEsCustomsclearanceAgencyservicesTransportTransportForwardingallowed.49%FIEsallowed.MinorityFIEsallowed.MinorityFIEsallowed.50%FIEsallowed;Foreignpartyneeds3years'experience;Minimumajorityallowed.*75%allowedfromNovember2002.ajorityallowed.*75%allowedorityWFOEsallowed.tionaltreatmentforbranchcapital(500,000RMB);tionaltreatmentforminimumcapitalSecondJVcanberequirementsetupaftertworegisteredcapital=$1,000,000;Branchesallowedafter1yearofoperation,with$120,000capitalperbranch.WarehousingMinorityFIEsallowed.fromJan2003.orityallowed.*Providedforroadtransport,freightforwardingyearsof(2milliontooperation(reduced5millionfromfiveyears).RMB).*SecondJVallowedaftertwoyearsfromJan2003.WFOEsallowed.maritimerules.WFOEsallowed.PackagingMinorityWFOEsallowed.allowed.FIEsallowed.*LogisticsNocommitment.*50%FIEsallowedforinternationallogisticsservices;JVsallowedforthirdpartylogisticsservicesfromJuly2002.LoadingandNoUnloadingcommitment.ProcessingryServicesInformationPmitment.AmCham-ChinaandAmCham-ShanghairecognizethatChinahascompliedwithitsWTOcommitmentstodate.Unfortunately,theproblemsinthissectorgowellbeyondtheframeworkoftheWTOaccessionpackage,althoughgreaterattentiontoWTOprinciples,suchasnationaltreatmentinregulatingthesector,wouldbewelcome.GeographicalRestrictionsWithChina'sincreasingtradevolumes,bothlocalandmultinationalcorporationshaveanacuteneedforcapableandefficienttransportationandlogisticsfirmstodistributetheirgoodsthroughoutChina.Unfortunately,China'slicensingregulationsrequirefirmstoobtainaseparatebusinesslicenseforeachprovinceinwhichtheyoperate.Inmanylocalities,out-of-provincetrucksarearbitrarilystoppedatcitybordersandsubjectedtotollsthatlocaltrucksarenotrequiredtopay.Inmanycases,thisnecessitatesexpensiveunloadingandreloadingontolocalcarriers.Asisstandardpracticeinmostcountries,transportationandlogisticscompaniesinChinashouldbepermittedtooperateunderasinglenationwidelicenseratherthanunderthecumbersomelocallicensingsystemnowinplace.IndustryConsultationandRegulationRegulationsareoftenpromulgatedwithoutwarningorconsultation,andimplementingrulesarenormallynotissueduntilmonthslater.Insomecases,asaresult,newregulationsoftenprovetobeimpracticalandmakecomplianceoverlydifficult.Thesedifficultiescouldbeavoidedifthegovernmentdirectlyinvolvedindustryexpertsinthedraftingprocessandspentmoretimeafterissuancetothoroughlyexplainnewregulationstoaffectedcompanies.Anotherproblemisthatregulatoryoversightishighlyfragmented,involvingMOFCOM,theStateGeneralAdministrationforQualitySupervisionInspectionandQuarantine(AQSIQ),theMinistryofCommunications,theStateAdministrationofIndustryandCommerce,theGeneralAdministrationofCustoms,theStateAdministrationofTaxation,theStateAdministrationofForeignExchange,andnumeroustrafficbureaus.Thiscreatescomplicationsanddelays,andrunscountertothegovernment'sstatedgoalofincreasingefficiency.Forexample,Customsannouncedseveralmeasurestospeedupprocessingofimportsoverthepastyear.However,thebenefitsofthesemeasureshavebeennegatedbecauseothergovernmententities,especiallyintheinspectionandquarantinearea,havenotsimultaneouslyspeduptheirprocesses,resultingincontinueddelaysforimporters.Thefollowingexampleservestohighlightthisproblem.CargomustobtainCustomsclearancesbeforecontainerscanberemovedfromtheport.Tothisend,Customshasinstituteda7-day,24-hourserviceforprocessingpaperworkforimportsandexports.However,becauseinspectionsandissuanceofdutyreceiptsonlytakesplaceduringnormalworkinghours,themajorityofcargocannotbenefitfromthenewpolicies.Inordertoachieveefficientclearance,Customsshouldofferfullclearanceservicesafter-hourswhiletheplanningdepartmentsofthePortsshouldextendthecurrentearlycutofftimes.China'ssystemoftariffclassificationisbecomingincreasinglytransparentandclosertoworldstandards.However,manyclassificationsremainambiguousandvague.Itisimportanttoupdateclassificationsregularlyandadheretoglobalstandardstoensureamoreequitableassignmentoftariffsandtoavoidclassificationdisputes.AlthoughtheE-Portsystemwasintendedtoprovideacommonplatformforallclearanceproceduresamongtherelevantgovernmentagencies(security,quarantine,health,finance,etc.),onlyCustomshasimplementedit.Thereisstillnocoordinatedclearanceprocess,andimportersmuststillobtainapprovalsfromeachagencyseparately.Asystemshouldbeputinplacewherebyallprocedurescanbecompletedinonestep.AllgovernmentagenciesinvolvedinregulatingtheCustomsprocessshouldworktogetheronacooperativebasiswithallindustryparticipantstodiscusstheimpactofproposedregulationsand,inturn,allowenterprisestoprepareforupcomingchanges.Incertaincities,Customshasinstitutedapre-classificationprogramforsometypesofenterprises.ThisprogramallowscompaniestoregistertheircargowithCustomsbycreatingadatabaseprovidingdetaileddescriptionsofalltheirimportedgoods.Thus,whencargoisimported,Customscanusethepre-establishedclassificationsforalllisteditems.Thisspeedsclearanceforcontainerloadscontainingdifferentcommodities.Unfortunately,untilnow,thisprogramhashadverylimitedreach.Itshouldbeexpandedtomorecompaniesandtheprocessofnegotiatingtheclassificationsshouldbeexpedited.Inaddition,oncetheclassificationisrecognizedinonecustomshouse,itshouldbeautomaticallyextendedcountrywide.ElectronicDataInterchange(EDI)ConnectionsCustomshasimplementedElectronicDataInterchange(EDI)connectionswithcertainenterprisesandforwardingcompanies.However,inamajorityofcases,Customsstillrequiressubmissionofbothapaperdeclaration,whichhastobepresentedinperson,aswellasanelectroniccopyforeachsinglesubmission.Customsshouldacceptelectronicsubmissionsacrosstheboardtoallowformoreefficientprocessing.Wefurtherrecommendthatelectronic,post-clearancepaymentofdutiesbeallowed.ThedirectEDIlinkbetweentradersandCustomsshouldallowforthepost-clearancepaymentofdutiesandtaxesforqualifiedtradersandagents.Thatis,qualifiedtradersandagentsshouldbeabletohavetheirshipmentsreleasedpriortotariffpayments.EliminateTransclearanceRequirementsThecurrentpracticebyCustomsofevaluatingtheperformanceandbudgetofindividualCustomshouses,accordingtothevalueofthegoodsprocessed,createsseveralobstaclesforefficientclearanceofgoods.Forexample,itrequireslocalinlandCustomshousestotakeonsupervisoryrolesovergoodsthatarriveatotherports.CargoshouldbeabletoclearCustomsattheportofentrywithoutrequiringabondedtransfertothefinaldestination.SupervisionbytwoCustomshousesresultsinduplicatedeffortsandconflictinginterpretationsofregulations,significantlylengtheningthetransittimetoinlanddestinations.TransportInsuranceMostmultinationalcompaniesoutsourceinsurancecoverage,buttheinsuranceprovidedbythesecarriersisnotvalidinChina.ThusenterprisesmustpurchaseseparateinsurancewhentransportinggoodsinChina.Thissignificantlyincreasescostsandunderminesefficiency.Wethereforeurgethegovernmenttorecognizetheexcessandsurpluslinescertificatesissuedbyglobalinsurancecompanies.DangerousGoodsTransportationandFoodLabelingChina'sstrictregulationsfortransportingandpackingdangerousgoods(DG)havebecomemorerigorouslyenforcedincertainareas,especiallywithrespecttoexportsandimports.DGtransportcompaniesarelicensedandsupervisedlocally.Technically,companiesfulfillingcertaincriteriaarepermittedtoobtainDGlicenses,butinpractice,onlycompanieswithstronggovernmentconnectionshavebeenabletodoso.Forexample,in2003onlyonecompanyinShanghaiwasnewlylicensedtohauldangerousgoods—acompanywithnopriorexperienceinthebusiness.Licensesshouldbegrantedbasedonmeritandexperienceandenforcedthroughchecksonequipmentmaintenancerecords,driversafetyrecords,andhealth,safety,andenvironmentalproc