On May 30, 2002, Beijing announced it would further crack down on illegal imports of junked computers and other high-tech trash from the United States and other developed countries, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. A new list of banned items would include TV sets, computers, Xerox machines, video cameras and telephones.

August 15, 2002: List of Wastes China has Banned for Import
See also: Notice on Strengthening Management of Old Electromechanical Products Import

Excerpt:

"In recent years the trade import volume of old electromechanical products has been increasing rapidly. The import of some products, such as, old hydraulic diggers, diesel engines for vessel use, topograph checking machines of medical X-ray (CT), diagnosis instruments of medical X-ray, not only has an environmental pollution and seriously affects personal safety and production, but also disturbs the order of the market. In order to efficiently protect environment, people's health and production in safety and to upgrade the social benefit, the following is how to strengthen the import management of the old EMP.

I. Since January 1st, 1998 the import of old EMP has been forbidden no matter where the foreign currency come from, what kind of trade method and which import channels except the approval of the office of the import and export of the state mechanical and electronic products due to the special needs.
II. Without approval all the working units with the foreign trade business authorities are not allowed to sign the contracts of importing old EMP or the agreements with force of constraint.
III. Regarding the import of old mechanical and electronic products the Customs will check and let them pass relying on the way of product management and they also review and check the following documentation. They are the Certificates of Quota Products and the Import License of EMP, the Import Registration Form of EMP and the Import Licenses issued by the Office of the Import and Expot of the State EMP and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and also noted as the old products; the Import Records of the Old EMP produced by the commodity inspection organs. The Customs will handle the case if someone is against some regulations."

A subsequent Supplementary Notice on Strengthening Management on Imported Old Mechanical and Electrical Products which says it came into force from November 1, 1998 - notes:

"The Notice on Strengthening Management on Imported Old Mechanical and Electrical Products (Guo Jing Mao Ji No. 877 (1997)) jointly issued by State Economy and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, State Administration of the Customs and the former National Administration for Commodity Inspection has effectively contained the import disorder of mechanical and electrical products and played a positive role in protecting people's health and safety of production. The following supplementary notice is made hereby according to relevant policies of the government and actual implementation.

1. In order to strengthen the management on old major mechanical and electrical product, old mechanical and electrical products (see the appendix for detailed catalogue) relating to production safety (pressure containers), personal safety (electric appliances, medical apparatus and instruments) and environmental protection (engineering and Vehicle and ship craft machinery), as well as those quota, specially designated, or unifiedly registered (including those old mechanical and electrical equipment provided by foreign investors in foreign investment and processing trade enterprises), shall be dealt with according to the Notice on Strengthening Management on Imported Old Mechanical and Electrical Products (Guo Jing Mao Ji No. 877 (1997)). "

---

There is an appendix, a Catalogue of old major Mechanical and Electrical Products, which includes the following categories uder Electrical Appliance:

• Portable digital automatic data processing device
• Giant computer, large, and medium computer
• Small sized computer
• Laser printer for automatic data processing device
• Ink-jet printer for automatic data processing device
• Other printers (thermal printer) for automatic data processing device
• Giant, big, medium and small sized computer terminal
• Wireless telephone
• Visual telephone
• Other telephone (wire telephone)
• Monochromatic TV set less than 16 centimeters and below
• Monochromatic TV set of 16.42 centimeters
• Monochromatic TV set of 42.52 centimeters
• Monochromatic TV set over 52 centimeters
• Black-white or other monochromatic cathode-ray picture tube

A document entitled Procedures for International Navigation Ships Entering and Exiting Ports of the People's Republic of China reveals that in the case of someone importing electronic scrap, Chinese customs inspectors would never actually board vessels to inspect the cargo on board, but rely only on paperwork.

Article 5 states that "When a ship enters and exits China's ports, its owner or agent should go through formalities in line with relevant stipulations of the procedures. The personnel of inspection organs shall not go on board of the ship for inspections except in the cases stipulated in the second clause of Article 10 and Article 11 of the procedures or in other special cases."

(Article 10 deals with "quarantine at the site of the anchorage if the ships come from epidemic areas and ships carrying people who have or are suspected to have contracted infectious diseases or bodies of those who have died of non-accidental causes or of unclear causes," while Article 11 concerns "animal and plant products or other goods carried by the ship [that] come from animal and plant epidemic areas that need quarantine" - neither of which would apply to a shipment of electronic waste.)