  Friday, July 04, 2008 Customs Delays expected in ChinaWe are receiving advice that there are currently severe delays with cross-border haulage due to extensive customs checks at the PRC border. Due to the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic games, there are new heavy restrictions on customs clearance, for all commodities, effective July 1st. In addition, PRC Customs recently uncovered a smuggling operation involving hard drugs and weapons. With the world watching and with the current threats of terrorism and illicit substances, Beijing is committed to ensuring the 2008 Olympics is a safe, clean event. There is no apparent easy way around these delays. Delays to both import/export to/from China are now inevitable and will remain until the beginning of October. We suggest that it would be advisable to notify relevant customers accordingly. Thank you and kind regards, Brian Lovell Chief Executive Officer Australian Federation of International Forwarders Ltd (AFIF) Suite 403, Level 3 152 Bunnerong Road Eastgardens NSW 2036 Tel: (61 2) 9314 3055 Fax: (61 2) 9314 3116 |