Robots have their own exclusive "ID card," and the fine-tuning of customs tariff policies is playing a strategic move to influence the industry's "big game."

(Source: Shangguan News)

Floor after floor of intelligent bio-mimetic robots are confidently stepping out of the country thanks to a brand-new “identity card”; batches of lithium-battery “recycled black powder” are adding fresh momentum to keep the green industrial chain’s cycle running smoothly, driven by tariff reductions; and case by case, imported artificial blood vessels, as tax burdens ease, are bringing hope to more patients’ families.

These seemingly minor adjustments to tax numbers and changes in tax rates are, behind the scenes, a vivid demonstration of the General Administration of Customs’ ongoing optimization of import and export tax policies and its precise support for the development of new productive forces. Starting from January 1 of this year, products such as intelligent bio-mimetic robots have been assigned newly added tax codes, while products such as recycled black powder used in lithium-ion batteries have had their import tariffs lowered. This is another result achieved by the General Administration of Customs’ Tax Collection and Administration Bureau (Shanghai), under the guidance of the General Administration of Customs’ Tariff Division, leveraging the tax policy research platform to actively improve tax policies and support the development of new productive forces.

To support the development of the artificial intelligence industry, customs is paving the way for “Made in China” to go abroad. Currently, China’s robotics industry is achieving leapfrog development, with products such as intelligent bio-mimetic robots accelerating their iteration and upgrades and the pace of going abroad continuing to quicken. On January 12, ZhiYuan Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd. applied to export 3 humanoid robots. With the newly granted exclusive tax code 8479.8970, it successfully unveiled its full product matrix in Munich, thereby opening the door to the German market. A responsible person in the company for customs affairs remarked: “The addition of tax codes not only clearly defines export declaration standards, playing a positive guiding role for the industry, but also provides important references for overseas importers.” To promote high-quality industrial development, the General Administration of Customs’ Tax Collection and Administration Bureau (Shanghai), in combination with industry development needs, jointly conducted field research with the Robot Sub-Association of the China Machinery Industry Federation, and submitted to the State Council Tariff Tariff Schedule Committee a proposal to add tax codes. The proposal was ultimately adopted and implemented in the “2026 Tariff Adjustment Plan.” Even more noteworthy is that during the review and deliberation of the 2028 Harmonized System revision by the World Customs Organization (WCO), the bureau’s proposal to separately add six-digit tariff headings for goods such as “clean robots” was also adopted. This means that our advantageous industries will have an “international business card” for the world.

Boosting a green and low-carbon transition, customs is being meticulous with the circular economy. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, customs’ tax policy research has already successfully promoted the implementation of tariff adjustment proposals for five key new-energy battery raw materials, including lithium carbonate and spodumene, injecting strong momentum into industry development.

In 2025, the General Administration of Customs’ Tax Collection and Administration Bureau (Shanghai) precisely captured key links in the closed-loop recycling system for lithium-battery raw materials. Focusing on the pain point of tax burden for “recycled black powder,” it worked with departments including the Fuzhou Customs and the Fujian Provincial Department of Finance to conduct tax policy research, proposed tariff reduction measures, and these were adopted—resulting in the import tariff rate being lowered from 6.5% to 3%. This precise solution effectively responded to the cost-reduction needs of the lithium-battery industrial chain and promoted the recycling and reuse of key resources.

A responsible person for customs affairs at Ningde Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. did the math: “As a key intermediate product for building a closed-loop recycling system for lithium-battery raw materials, the newly set provisional tax rate for recycled black powder used in lithium-ion batteries—after the tariff drops by 3.5 percentage points—can save our group and related holding companies tens of millions of yuan in costs every year. It is also conducive to expanding raw material supply channels and reducing reliance on primary mineral resources. It has a positive significance for safeguarding the supply chain security of the lithium-battery industrial chain.”

Responding to public livelihood concerns, customs uses a “tax burden reduction” to obtain a “health increase.” In recent years, customs across the country has carried out more than 10 tax policy research initiatives in the medical and healthcare sector, and more than 40 proposals have been adopted and implemented, covering viral vectors used in CAR-T tumor therapy, sodium zirconium silicate, and artificial joints, among others. This has effectively improved the level of pharmaceutical R&D and reduced the burden on patients. In light of the real situation that cardiovascular diseases are highly prevalent and there is an urgent need for large-vessel transplant substitutes, the General Administration of Customs’ Tax Collection and Administration Bureau (Shanghai), together with 10 customs organizations including Shanghai and Huangpu, conducted research. The tariff-reduction proposals it put forward were adopted and implemented.

Starting from January 1, import tariffs on artificial blood vessels, certain infectious disease diagnostic reagent kits, high-voltage solid-state modulator systems for medical linear accelerators, multi-leaf collimator array modules, and other items have been reduced by 2–3 percentage points.

A relevant responsible person from Shanghai Zhongzhi Technology Application and Development Co., Ltd. said: “In the first two months of this year, our imports of artificial blood vessels increased by about 10% year on year. This provides strong support for optimizing product supply and expanding market space. Going forward, we will further improve medical accessibility—such as by strengthening hospital training and expanding the construction of clinical databases—to better safeguard people’s health.”

Original headline: “Robots have their own exclusive ‘identity cards,’ and customs’ ‘micro-adjustments’ in tax policy move the industry’s ‘big chessboard’”

Column editor: Zhao Juling

Source: Author: Guo Jianfeng, Shanghai Observer (Xinmin Evening News)

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