China: National Sword 2017 – update 

Further to our 9 February 2017 news, a Chinese BIR member relays the General Administration of Customs (GAC) 7 March 2017 statement that “ The GAC, in collaboration with the environmental protection department, police and AQSIQ , will carry a joint action from March 1 to November 30 with the aim of strengthening their supervision and severely cracking down on all illegal activities with regards to foreign waste”
 
Strenuous efforts will be spent towards the supervision of the complete flow of imported solid waste, from shipment, customs check and final recycling.  The Joint Task Group formed by the four departments will crack down on any suspected illegal activities found at any step from import up to the final recycling process.
 
The objective is
a)    To thoroughly supervise the enterprises concerned and the materials held in stock
b)    Through the joint action, to effectively follow all leads, perform in-depth investigations towards the full chain of activities, and take immediate legal action against individuals or entities breaking the law.
c)     To identify high risk goods and enterprises for priority checking, conduct follow-up checks of those listed as high risk targets and penalize those convicted of not really doing recycling or supplying/possessing illegal goods
 
The Joint Task Group will
a)   Crack down on the smuggling of foreign waste  - industrial waste, E-waste, household waste and plastic waste, etc.;
b)   Crack down on goods transportation channels, high-sea and non-customs point smuggling;
c)    Closely cooperate with international law enforcement channels to strengthen the intelligence on foreign waste streams, and timely take out necessary joint actions.
d)    Maintain a high profile and unrelenting stance in the crackdown on foreign waste smuggling.
 
Apparently, GAC has the intention to deter the smuggling of solid waste and malpractice in foreign waste operations through their periodical news updates.