China publishes draft rules for import of recycled raw material copper, copper alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys 
On July 8, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published draft rules for the import of recycled raw material copper, copper alloys, aluminum and aluminum alloys. The ministry sought comments on the draft through July 25, 2024. Here are the details of the draft.
- Recycled raw material copper, copper alloys, aluminum and aluminum alloys are not considered solid waste if they meet the requirements of the schedule to the rules, and can be imported without restriction. Recycled raw material metals that do not meet the requirements of the schedule cannot be imported. If Customs suspects that imported recycled raw material metals are solid waste, it can have their attributes determined by specialized bodies. If identified as solid waste, the recycled raw material metals will be managed in accordance with solid waste regulations according to the law.
- The HS code for recycled raw material copper is 7404000030, recycled raw material copper alloys 7404000040, recycled raw material pure aluminum 7602000030, recycled raw material wrought aluminum alloys 7602000040, and recycled raw material cast aluminum alloys 7602000020.
- Different types of recycled raw material metals are not allowed to be mixed or to be declared using the same customs declaration.
- Sensory inspection is first performed in the inspection of imported recycled raw material metals except when radioactive contamination inspection is conducted according to the special inspection requirements for Customs. If it cannot be determined by the sensory inspection whether the recycled metals are compliant with relevant requirements, additional inspections will be performed according to the national standards, GB/T 38470, GB/T 38471, GB/T 38472, GB/T 40382 and GB/T 40386, or industry standards for Customs.
The official announcement of the draft rules (in Chinese) is available at
https://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk06/202407/W020240708583594041086.pdf
