Grey customs schemes impede RF-China normal trade-Customs Dpt

BEIJING, October 13 (Itar-Tass) - The use of "grey" customs schemes on
the border impedes the normal development of trade between China and
Russia, Vice Minister of the General Administration of China Customs
(GACC) Lu Peijun said at a press conference here on Thursday.
"Grey" scheme of customs clearance of goods are an obstacle to normal
development of Sino-Russian trade. There are many reasons for their
appearance," said the official, adding there are many difficulties in this
issue. "The Chinese Customs," he said, "stands against any illegal trade,
including the grey schemes of customs clearance," According to him, the
Chinese side jointly with the Russian Customs Service is currently engaged
in the fight against this phenomenon. He also he recalled that the two
countries have a mechanism of cooperation between their customs services,
the work of which has helped to attain results in the fight against the
"grey" schemes.
A rapid growth of trade between China and Russia is currently
observed: during the first eight months of this year it increased by 80
percent, as compared to the same period in 2010. This year the trade
turnover between the two countries can reach a record high level of $70
billion. The two countries' leaders have set the task to increase the
bilateral trade volume of to $100 billion by 2015.
The General Administration of China Customs is an administrative
agency within the government of the People's Republic of China. It is
responsible for the collection of value added tax (VAT), customs duties,
excise duties, and other indirect taxes such as air passenger duty,
climate change levy, insurance premium tax, landfill tax and aggregates
levy. It is also responsible for managing the import and export of goods
and services into China. The current Minister of the Administration is Mou
Xinsheng, who replaced Sheng Guangzu. GACC guards the borders of China
from smugglers and is therefore dedicated to keeping illegal products
outside of Chinese borders. It also regulates what can leave China and is
partially responsible for who can enter or leave the country.
Diplomatic relations between People's Republic of China and the
Russian Federation dramatically improved after the fall of the Soviet
Union and the establishment of the Russia in 1991. The two countries share
a long land border which was demarcated in 1991, and they signed a Treaty
of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation in 2001.
On November 23, 2010, at a meeting of the Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin and the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, it was announced that
Russia and China have decided to use their own national currencies for
bilateral trade, instead of the US dollar. The move is aimed to further
improve the relations between Beijing and Moscow and to protect their
domestic economies in the conditions of the world financial crisis. The
trading of the Chinese yuan against the Russian rouble has started in the
Chinese interbank market, while the yuan's trading against the rouble was
launched on the Russian foreign exchange market in December 2010. In
coordination with other emerging economies the second BRIC summit was held
in Brasilia in April 2010.