Customs anti-smuggling is the Customs law enforcement using both criminal and administrative law enforcement means to curb, repress and dispose of smuggling activities and crimes at Customs control areas and prescribed coastal or border areas where Customs office is established. Its essential purpose is to safeguard national economic interests and import & export trade order. China Customs is the competent anti-smuggling authority of the Chinese government responsible for the combating of smuggling. Since 1998, China has established a Customs anti-smuggling police force, which is under dual-leadership of the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Public Security, with Customs taking the major leading role. China has adopted a counter-smuggling mechanism, whereby smuggling activities are combated through joint efforts by all the relevant authorities, all smuggling cases are disposed of by China Customs following a unified procedure, and smuggling problems are dealt with in an integrated manner.
China customs carries out a heavy-handed policy on fighting against smuggling. China customs has effectively curbed the development momentum of the large-scale smuggling activities through adopting both criminal and administrative law enforcement means, launching special actions and cross-sector operations as well as pushing forward with force comprehensive anti-smuggling campaigns. In 2008, a total of 9,790 smuggling cases were ferreted out, involving a value of RMB 8.25 billion, mandatory measures were imposed on 2,901 smuggling criminal suspects according to law and all together 774 kilograms of drugs were seized, safeguarding effectively the economic order and social stability.
In 2009, China Customs enhances the coordination and cooperation with relevant agencies to guard against fraudulent export tax refunds. It has also established a strict port monitoring system and an anti-terrorist, anti-riot, stability-keeping oriented emergency mechanism to guide and steer the national comprehensive anti-smuggling campaigns.