Since the putting into effect of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2004, by the end of the year 2014, the mainland has imported an accumulation of USD8.56 worth of goods from the Hong Kong and Macau SARs, with RMB4.71 worth of preferential duties granted to these goods. Among them, USD8.47 billion worth of goods were imported from the Hong Kong SAR with RMB4.67 billion worth of preferential duties granted; and the other USD85.561 million worth of goods were from the Macau SAR with RMB44.183 million worth of preferential duties granted.

According to the figures released by the Customs, in the year 2014, the value of goods from the Hong Kong SAR and the amount of preferential duties imported and given by the mainland under CEPA increased by 7.7% and 8.4% respectively; while the year-on-year growth of the value of goods imported from the Macau SAR under CEPA changed from 2.1% in 2013 to 2.6% in 2014.

Mr.Zhang Guangzhi, the spokesman of the General Administration of Customs, said that China Customs, following the directions given by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, would implement in a down to earth way the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), take an active part into the negotiation on the standards for identifying the place of origin and discuss with the relevant departments in the Hong Kong SAR about the turning into digital model the certificate of place of origin. In all, China Customs will continue to make clearance easier and simpler for enterprises, supporting the development of trade of goods under CEPA.