2025Equipment ImportsNew market trends

According to the latest statistics from the General Administration of Customs, the total value of mechanical equipment imports in the first half of 2025 increased by 17.3% year-on-year, with intelligent manufacturing equipment accounting for over 42%. While import volumes continue to rise, cases of misclassified declarations detected by customs inspection departments increased by 24% year-on-year, with average cargo detention time extending to 8.7 days per shipment.

Analysis of key nodes in the entire customs clearance process

The typical equipment import process includes the following six stages:

• Pre-declaration preparation stage
  • HS code pre-classification confirmation (requires providing equipment technical parameters)
  • Import license/CCC certification document verification
• Port arrival declaration stage
  • Maritime TransportationBill of lading and packing list data consistency check
  • Online filing of mechanical and electrical product import application forms
• Customs inspection phase
  • Verification of IPPC mark on wooden packaging
  • Equipment nameplate parameter and declaration consistency inspection

Key points of risk prevention in practical operations

In March 2025, a semiconductor company importing lithography machines failed to timely processFiling for tax incentives on major technical equipment imports, resulting in overpayment of tariffs and VAT totaling RMB 3.87 million. This case reveals three core risk points:

• Misjudgment of tariff preference policy application conditions
• Incorrect declaration of equipment functional module splits
• Confusion between new and used equipment residual value assessment standards

Customs clearance efficiency improvement strategies

Professional agency services can reduce clearance time by 40% through the following methods:

• Establishing an equipment parameter database (containing 3000+ HS code cross-references)
• Pre-review system automatically verifying declaration element completeness
• Coordinated declaration mechanism between local and port customs

Agency service provider qualification verification standards

When selecting customs declaration agents, key checks should include:

• Customs AEO certification level (recommended to choose advanced certified enterprises)
• Scale of professional equipment import case database (recommended 500+ successful cases)
• Percentage of customs team members with electromechanical professional background (recommended no less than 60%)