Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau to Establish a Traceability Platform for Cross-border E-commerce

On November 5th 2015, Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau held a press conference about innovation of inspection and quarantine systems at Nansha harbor in Guangzhou. Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau announced that in order to guarantee consumers’ interests a traceability platform for cross-border e-commerce is going to be established.

Cross-border e-commerce has developed rather rapidly in Guangdong in recent years. In 2015, the total export and import volume of cross-border e-commerce of Guangzhou city ranked number one across China. Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said cross-border e-commerce involves numerous consumer products like foods and cosmetics which pose significant potential health and safety risks to Chinese consumers. Deals between consumers and enterprises are made online compounding issues such as lack of supply chain transparency and authentication of products. Therefore, Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau have decided to establish a traceability platform in Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone ahead of others.

Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said that from now on information relating to products being imported or exported via CBEC through Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone Nansha Area of Guangzhou can be searched on their public service platform at any time. Once the consumer inputs the order number, tracking number or citizen ID, 18 items including product code, product name, product amount and record-filing number for inspection and quarantine will be displayed to consumers. Actually, this traceability search system has been put into use since June without any official announcement. At the end of October, consumers have already completed over 43000 searches.

Furthermore, Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau announced that they are going to extend their traceability supervision to the international imports and links outside of the domestic supply chain. They will also provide an express entrance for imported products with a valid qualitative traceability certificate issued by accredited international third-party inspection agencies.

* Reference Link: 广东自贸区开11剂猛药：跨境电商需溯源