China Tightens Export Declarations on Machine Tools and Drones From June 30A · FULL TRANSLATION
- Customs notices standardize export filings for lathes, mills, grinders and drones
- Declarations must flag export-control status and cite dual-use control codes
- Cross-border e-commerce loses simplified 4-digit filing; full 10-digit HS codes required
Traders moving Chinese-made equipment or drone components have until June 30 to overhaul their customs paperwork. Two new notices from China's customs administration standardize export declarations for material-processing machine tools and for drones: remarks columns must state export-control status, dual-use control codes become mandatory where applicable, overseas consignees must be formally named, and supporting contracts and technical documents attached. The sharpest edge cuts cross-border e-commerce, where simplified 4-digit tariff filing is abolished in favor of full 10-digit codes — illuminating the gray zone of small-parcel trade at a stroke. The pattern is clear: China's dual-use export-control toolbox keeps densifying, from rare earths and gallium to equipment and now to the granularity of declaration data itself. Compliance costs and clearance times need re-estimating.
[Summary translation of JETRO business brief] China's General Administration of Customs issued two notices standardizing export declarations: Notice No. 77 (June 5) covering lathes, milling machines, grinders and similar material-processing equipment, and No. 78 (June 9) covering drones and related items, both effective June 30. Exporters must declare truthfully under the Export Control Law and Customs Law, noting in the declaration remarks whether goods fall under export controls and, if so, the applicable dual-use item control codes; they must state the formal name of the overseas consignee and attach contracts, invoices and technical documents. Courier (Class C) and cross-border e-commerce declarations are also tightened: the 'other' field must accurately describe item names, characteristics and uses, and simplified 4-digit HS code filing is abolished in favor of full 10-digit codes. Customs explanations published June 8 and 10 frame the notices as implementing dual-use export control requirements. (Source: JETRO, Beijing, June 11, 2026)