Workshop on import inspection procedures in China and Germany

A workshop on import inspection procedures in China and Germany was held in Tianjin on the 22nd of August. Through the Sub-Working Group on Product Safety in the Automotive Industry, experts from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) had the chance to gain a profound understanding of the import procedures and regulations for automobiles and component parts in China and Germany. The event was further used to deepen the dialogue on connected questions to be discussed in the project line “import and export inspections”. In the beginning, Mr. ZHOU Jin, Officer from the Tianjin Bureau for Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) laid out current inspection and quarantine procedures for automobile products imported into China. The question of market surveillance of parallel imports was also included in his presentation. Afterwards, Dr. Thomas Meurers from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) explained German import procedures for automobile products.

The centerpiece of the workshop was an open exchange on questions such as the proof of conformity procedures for the import of small batches of products. Another topic was the problem of parallel imports and warranties. Several raised points will be included in follow up discussions. AQSIQ will further inform the participants on the current developments of an intelligence surveillance platform for imported automobiles within the Sub-Working Group.