There have been a series of new policies and reforms initiated by China’s government in the first half year of 2018. New direction on roaming fees, the circulation of old RMB currency, tariffs etc… scroll down to find out further big changes set to come
There have been a series of new policies and reforms initiated by China’s government in the first half year of 2018. New direction on roaming fees, the circulation of old RMB currency, tariffs etc… scroll down to find out further big changes set to come to China this year.
1. Tariff-free HK products
Starting from July 1st, there will be four additional product categories of goods of Hong Kong origin, including pineapples prepared or preserved in a substance other than vinegar, medicines containing vitamins, titanium powder and hydraulic motors, which will all enjoy tariff-free access to China.
Photo credit: Hong Kong Custom
2. Declarations on large amount cash when entering Hong Kong
Travellers in and out of Hong Kong will need to declare if they are carrying more than HK$120,000 (US$15,300) in cash, after a new law to tackle dirty money comes into force in mid-July. Failure to declare is punishable by a maximum of two years in prison and a HK$500,000 fine.
Photo credit: Hong Kong Custom
3. Eliminating domestic roaming data charge
Department of Information and Communication Development reports: the China government plans to eliminate traffic ‘roaming’ fees and reduce the mobile network traffic tariff by at least 30%.
4. Stopping the circulation old version RMB currency
‘The fourth set of RMB types’ can’t be used anymore! 100 yuan, 50 yuan, 10 yuan, 5 yuan, 2 yuan, 2 jiao and 1 jiao coins of a certain period have all been removed from circulation, according to a State Council statement.
Photo credit: jd.cang.com
Holders of any ‘old version’ RMB can make an exchange at the branches of any banking financial institutions selected by the branch of the People’s Bank of China from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019.
5. 59 Countries’ countries tourists enjoy visa-free from China
In order to boost the province’s tourism industry. A new 30-day visa-free policy in Hainan province comes into effect for people from 59 countries released on May 1.
Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Finland, Norway, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Monaco.
Photo credit: soujianzhu.com
6. New flight rules
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), passengers will be forbidden from taking a flight if they demonstrate:
— Fabricate or spread fake news about safety of civil aviation.
— Use others’ ID or boarding passes.
— Obstruct or cause a hold up at counters, security check channels and boarding gates, or deliberately interrupt or interfere with the work of cabin crew, security check staff, and airport staff in general.
Photo credit: naven87.com
— Put forbidden items into luggage or bring them onto the aircraft.
— Enter restricted areas such as the cockpit, runway and landing field.
— Fight on the aircraft or cause damage to equipment on board.
— Smoke on the aircraft.
— Steal items in flight.
7. Facial recognition technology will be used to send jaywalkers fines through text messages.
The Chinese artificial intelligence company behind these devices, is taking them a step further by partnering with mobile carriers and social media platforms such as WeChat and Sina Weibo, to send text messages directly to offenders as soon as they are caught jaywalking by the cameras.
Photo credit: massprivatei.blogspot.com
8. Being unruly get you banned from trains
Bad behavior includes smoking in non-smoking areas, riding without a ticket, obstructing train doors and selling fake tickets. The ban also restricts offending passengers from using China’s massive high-speed railway network, which now spans over 25,000 kilometers and covers 29 provinces and municipalities. The ban can result in penalties that last up to 180 days.
Photo credit: listy.com
9. China to simplify procedures for foreign businesses
The Commerce Ministry describes the simplified procedure as “one connection and two singles.” “One connection” means linking the databases of local commerce authorities and local market regulation administrations, which are the two authorities in charge of company registration.
And “two singles” means foreign companies only need to fill in one “single form”, and have their business registrations processed through one “single window” on the websites of local administrations of industry, commerce, and market regulation.
The whole process will require no papers, no face-to-face services and zero charges. Foreign enterprises and investors will no longer need to apply to two agencies or to fill in multiple forms repeatedly, which will cut their costs in time and human resources.
10. West Guangdong’s Jiangmen-Zhanjiang Railway opens
A section of the Shenzhen-Zhanjiang Railway which links Jiangmen with Zhanjiang has completed construction, and became operational on July 1.
The test train had a successful 26-kilometer trial run from Jiangmen’s Xinhui Railway Station to Maoming’s Dianbai Railway Station. Travelers can enjoy the trip from Shenzhen or Guangzhou to Zhanjiang, trains on the line can travel at 200 km/h, it will take roughly three hours to get to Zhanjiang from Guangzhou, five hours less than before.
Photo credit: trainvn.com
The Jiangmen-Zhanjiang section, which stretches 355 kilometers through Jiangmen, Yangjiang, Maoming and Zhanjiang, is the most convenient rail line connecting Western Guangdong with the south-central Pearl River Delta.
11. Direct high-speed line from GZ to Xiamen
From July 1st, direct high-speed trains are available between Guangzhou East and Xiamen. This is a fast option costing CNY 255, taking about 4 and three-quarter hours. There are also stops at Shenzhen, Huizhou, Chaoyang and Chaoshan during the trip.
Photo credit: xiun8.com
The most ideal way to travel between Guangzhou and Fuzhou is to catch Guangzhou South – Fuzhou line (calling at Xiamen North), which started running from July 2nd, taking 4 and a quarter hours, with a second class seat costing CNY 254.5.
There are also intercity services between Shenzhen and Xiamen, Fuzhou.
12, 200RMB fines for wrongly classified or disposed of garbage
Individuals failing to classify and improperly dispose of household garbage according to the regulations will be fined not more than 200 Yuan ($30.23).
Organizations that improperly treat household garbage will be fined between 5,000 Yuan and 50,000 Yuan.
Restaurants, bazaars and supermarkets that fail to fulfill new requirements for separation of residue and water, oil and water, and keeping items tightly closed when disposing will face a fine of 5,000 Yuan to 50,000 Yuan.
Photo credit: GDToday
Individuals and organizations misclassifying and improperly disposing of household garbage will be fined strictly as of July 1.
The new regulation stipulates that residents who produce household garbage should classify it, dispose of it properly, and then put the garbage into collection containers with corresponding labels, or take them to designated collection areas.
Source: GDToday
