China's Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and General Administration of Customs have jointly issued a notice releasing the fourth batch of products for maintenance in comprehensive bonded zones, significantly expanding opportunities for bonded maintenance.

Known as the No 82 Notice of 2025, the policy broadens the scope and conditions for bonded maintenance, creating a more favorable environment for businesses operating in this sector.

Wider scope

The updated catalogue expands the number of product codes to 276 from 97 in the previous three batches, allowing for a wider range of goods to be covered. Newly included items range from communication base stations, railway locomotives, yachts, and automotive batteries to a broader array of industrial equipment.

More high-tech and high value-added products are now eligible, such as machining centers, industrial robots, surgical robots, drones for aerial photography, a complete set of MRI devices, and gene testing instruments.

This expansion is expected to foster a virtuous cycle, in which production orders generate maintenance demand and maintenance services, in turn, support further production.

Lower barriers

The new policy allows enterprises within the bonded zones to provide bonded maintenance services for electromechanical products manufactured domestically by their corporate groups and exported overseas. These products may return to China for maintenance under a "both ends abroad" model.

It removes the previous restrictions imposed by the bonded zone maintenance product catalogues and by the lists of used electromechanical products prohibited from import. As a result, the reform helps enterprises strengthen their global service capabilities and overall competitiveness.

More options

Under previous bonded maintenance rules, goods were generally required to be returned to their original destination after maintenance.

The updated policy allows enterprises in the bonded zones to conduct bonded maintenance services for products manufactured globally and sold domestically by their corporate groups, with the option to return the maintained products to the domestic market or export them directly.

This adjustment supports the development of a circular economy by better integrating manufacturing, sales, maintenance, and redistribution processes across both domestic and international markets.

Source: Shanghai Customs