Part 1: Inside China’s Customs Inspections And Chaotic Rule Changes

In this two part series, we explored China’s quality control of exporting PPE with the implementation of Announcement 53 (Part 1) and ultimately how companies achieve worry-free shipping and delivery of medical supplies (Part 2) 

When China implemented stricter shipping regulations on medical supplies back on April 10 with the institution of Announcement 53, heart palpitations were felt from healthcare administrators down to the general public throughout the United States at the thought of not being able to receive the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) they ordered and were in desperate need of. 

The chain supply had a major kink in it that didn’t appear to be straightening out very quickly. 

While the overall goal of Announcement 53 has helped rid the market of ineffective and fraudulent PPE items from being exported from China customs officials maintain, it also caused a major backlog of product and shipment challenges due to the slower approval process on medical supplies with individual items and packaging being meticulously inspected. Needless to say, the medical supplies that were inspected and actually passed the Announcement 53 requirements still felt the ill effects of those products failing inspections that only led to further case investigations. With “quality and safety” two of the pillars the General Administration of Customs built their inspection strategy upon, there remained a lingering concern about the timeliness of being able to receive exported medical supplies from China in light of the new stringent law. 

It begged the question, how do companies, hospitals, and healthcare professionals go about achieving worry-free shipping and delivery of their medical supplies from China? 

One of the most understandable answers can be found within Announcement 53 itself. As part of the language described when outlining export enterprises, the measure references how “medical materials must strictly fulfill their responsibilities for truthful declaration”, as an important factor in determining if medical materials are deemed safe for exporting. The wording in the measure goes on to say how, “For the law-abiding enterprises that declare truthfully, the customs will provide customs clearance”. Whereas the documents needed for exporting medical materials were both lengthy and required, it’s those two words within the law -- “truthful declaration” -- that ultimately becomes a saving grace for many companies exporting legitimate PPE products from China. Regardless of the fervent changes and restrictions that came with Announcement 53, for those inside China who have undergone medical supplies inspections with the General Administration of Customs maintain that the best way to increase the rapid rate of approval is by ensuring “truthful declaration” throughout the inspection process. 

Expediting orders through Customs in China has been an adventure that’s ranged from chaotic to controlled within the past month, as States like New Hampshire, Alaska, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, and New York all recently received an abundant delivery of medical supplies.

For companies to successfully export medical supplies, following these five easy steps has shown to be effective and efficient. 

1. Distinguish between Medical and Non-Medical Supplies 

2. Include a Medical Device Registration Certificate 

3. Non-Medical Supplies can not have any information or packaging that reflects that it’s Medical Supplies (no FDA markings for example)

4. Include a Certificate of Conformity

5. Packaging, product, document information (proper documentation is outlined in Part 1 of this series) must be consistent 

With China producing nearly half of the world's supply of protective medical equipment with both the United States and Europe its two biggest customers, expediting orders through Customs in China has been an adventure that’s ranged from chaotic to controlled within the past month depending on the number of counterfeit products confiscated or if items are deemed “truthful declaration”. In the past week alone as cargo waits to be loaded at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China's busiest freight hub, there have been signs that exporting medical supplies (by air and shipping lines) has improved despite the on-going challenges. 

Last week in Anchorage, Alaska, a chartered FedEx plane packed with PPE landed safely with 160,000 face shields, 1.2 million pairs of gloves, 31,000 protective Tyvek suits, 100,000 disposable gowns, and 20,000 shoe covers and head caps state officials reported. In New Hampshire, 110,000 pounds of PPE arrived to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport from Shanghai, China, in an effort to deliver and protect medical workers and first responders fighting the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. In Illinois, Governor JB Pritzker spent over $1.7 million to arrange for two charter flights of PPE from China with cargo safely arriving including ventilators, masks, gloves, gowns, protective eyewear and hand sanitizer. The town of Mentor, Ohio is also making news after a medical supply store there procured a shipment of 3 million PPE products in an effort to keep healthcare workers safe on the frontlines. Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin announced his State is receiving a shipment of 10,000 masks and 1,000 medical outfits from China, with donations coming from Wisconsin's "sister state," the Heilongjiang Province.

Even in New York, CovCare managed to successfully receive multiple air shipments from China to help protect healthcare professionals fighting COVID-19 with 1.5 million masks arriving in mid-April and most recently receiving 1 million disposable 3-play masks and 500,000 medical gowns and faceshields from manufacturers in China. 

It’s no longer a question of there being a PPE shortage or even being unable to receive medical supplies from China. The process is playing out, slowly but surely. Now it’s more about waiting patiently for products with “truthful declaration” to pass through Customs inspections and safely making it to U.S. soil. 

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