Science, research improved
The reductions were approved at a State Council executive meeting, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, effective on July 1. The move will boost opening-up, benefit domestic consumers and enhance industrial transformation, a statement released after the meeting said.
Average tariff rates for clothes, shoes, hats, kitchen items and sports products will be reduced to 7.1 percent from the current 15.9 percent.
Average rates for household appliances, including washing machines and refrigerators, will be cut to 8 percent from the existing 20.5 percent. Tariffs on aquatic products and mineral water will be 6.9 percent on average from the present 15.2 percent, while cleaning products, cosmetics and some healthcare products will be levied at 2.9 percent from the present 8.4 percent.
Since 2015, four rounds of tariff cuts have been conducted for daily consumer goods, such as sunglasses and diapers, to lessen the number of consumers shopping overseas.
The average tariff on daily consumer goods is 14.5 percent, 4.7 percentage points higher than the country’s average tariff rate, said the Ministry of Finance. In 2017, China imported daily consumer goods worth $65.7 billion.
This time, average rates will be reduced to 6.9 percent from the current 15.7 percent for 1,449 items of goods, covering seven times the number of goods in the four previous rounds of tariff cuts, said Feng Jinping, director of the tariff department of the Ministry of Finance.
These goods account for more than 70 percent of annual imported consumer goods, worth $38 billion, Feng said. The amount of cut tariffs is estimated to be $3.3 billion this year.
Further tariff cuts will boost opening-up and meet the public demands, which will also force domestic producers to improve the quality and promote industrial upgrading, the statement said.
Feng Qiaobin, a professor in economics at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said the tariff cuts will fulfill China’s commitment to further opening up to the out- side world. In fact, the items are closely related to people’s lives, such as household appliances, and so the cut also can reduce prices of these products and meet the public’s aspiration for a better life, she said.
In the long run, the move will be beneficial for the economy and people, she said.
In his Government Work Report in March, the premier pledged to further reduce tariffs on some daily consumer goods later this year, which is expected to promote industrial upgrading and give consumers more choice with more balanced trade.
As the world’s largest-developing country, China still has a long way ahead for modernization but will open its doors even wider, which will stimulate domestic reforms, the premier said at Wednesday’s meeting.
Li also urged related departments to carry out detailed measures for the tariff cuts and prevent any surcharges by middlemen to give consumers a real sense of gain.
China will strive to promote the credibility and integrity of science and research, according to a guideline released on Thursday. The guideline, jointly released by the General Office of Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of State Council, is aimed to boost the environment for innovation in science and technology.
According to the guideline, various institutions that are devoted to R&D activities or scientific and technological management services, should carry the main responsibility for promoting credibility and integrity.
The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences will take a leading responsibility in coordinating and managing the work of scientific integrity in the fields of science and social sciences respectively.
Individuals who are devoted to R&D activities or scientific and technological management services must remain self-disciplined. Researchers must obey moral principles of science and norms for research activities.
Plagiarizing the works of others and forging or manipulating research data is strictly forbidden. Purchasing research papers or writing papers on behalf of others will also be punished, as well as using deception to apply for programs in scientific and technological plans, research funds, awards and honors. A system of credibility commitment will be established for the publishing of research papers, as well as a traceability mechanism for scientific research.
Depending on the severity of the offense, punishment can range from canceling a project’s funding to revoking the offender’s titles and permanently banning them from promotion or other research positions.