Trade Groups Call for Delay on Chinese Regulations

With the pending July 1 deadline for new Chinese scrap export registrations, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. is working aggressively to seek a deadline extension and to obtain clarification of the requirements.

Scrap recyclers are preparing for the new regulations set forth by the Chinese Government’s Department of Supervision on Inspection General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine of China .

ISRI formally asked the Chinese to extend the deadline for export licensing to Oct. 1, 2004.  In addition, the association has been in contact with trade officials in the U.S. and in China seeking clarification of the procedures and a delay in the deadline. Reports of a possible delay to Sept. 1 have been floating for the past few days, though there has not yet been written confirmation from the Chinese government.

“In the past few days, we have had meetings with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, the U.S. Commerce and State Departments, and with several members of Congress all in an effort to encourage the Chinese government to work with us on this issue,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener.  “We have been in direct contact with officials at the U.S. embassy in Beijing requesting that they intervene with Chinese government officials while, at the same time, we are working with officials from the Chinese embassy in Washington.”

 In addition, ISRI’s delegation to the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) meeting in Berlin, held earlier this month, shared information with European scrap recyclers in a cooperative effort to approach the Chinese government about this issue.

“Sorting through fact and rumor concerning upcoming scrap export licensing issues in China has been difficult,” said Wiener.  “We are trying to be extremely careful to provide information to our membership that is both useful and accurate.”

The BIR, also working on delaying the implementation of the regulations, announced that it is sending a delegation to Beijing this week to discuss delaying the implementation of the regulation.

BIR Director General Francis Veys and the Vice-President of the BIR Non-Ferrous Division Bob Stein will meet official representatives of the AQSIQ on June 18th. During the meeting, BIR will stress that the group needs to receive clear and accurate answers to a list of questions compiled on the basis of reactions from a large number of international operators since the publication of notices 115 and 48.

During the BIR visit, further talks will be held with representatives from the Chinese non ferrous metals and steel sectors to gain insight in their views on future needs of the Chinese industry and on the possible impact of the new legislation on their supplies.