A Review of Policies Issued for the Printing and Packaging Industry in 2011

[ppzhan abstract]

] 2011 was the opening year of the 12th Five-Year Plan, and also a crucial year for the printing industry as it moved from a period of rapid growth into one of steady development, and for printing enterprises to transform and upgrade. In 2011, judging from the macro policies issued by various national ministries and commissions, the printing industry, as one of the eight key cultural industries, was enjoying an ever-greater share of policy dividends. The following is a focused review of the policies for the printing and packaging industry issued by the state this year.

1. Digital printing equipment listed as a priority for high-tech industrialization

[Abstract]: On October 20, the National Development and Reform Commission published on its website the Guide to the Current Priority Areas for High-Tech Industrialization (2011). In the advanced manufacturing industry, 11 digital-specific technologies and equipment were included. They are: sheet-fed multi-color high-speed offset presses, inkjet digital printing presses, satellite-type flexographic printing presses, high-speed web offset presses, multi-color gravure printing presses, intelligent multi-color double-sided printing equipment, imprint equipment based on lithography technology, computer-to-plate (CTP) technology and equipment, nano-material-based green plate-making technology and equipment, digital electronic shaft drive technology, and digital scan-to-plate integrated high-speed duplicators. In the new materials industry, low-carbon and environmentally friendly packaging materials were included.

[Comment]: This policy helps advance digital printing and the digitalization of printing in the industry, promote the optimization and upgrading of the printing industry's structure, and facilitate the transformation of its development mode.

1. Three printing equipment technologies listed as key industrial generic technologies

[Abstract]: On July 7, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published on its website the Guide to the Development of Key Industrial Generic Technologies (2011) (hereinafter referred to as the Guide). Three key generic technologies for printing equipment were included in the Guide. They are: ink color control system technology for intelligent printing presses, electronic shaft (shaftless) drive system technology for intelligent printing presses, and piezoelectric inkjet printhead manufacturing technology for inkjet digital printing presses.

[Comment]: If domestic equipment manufacturers can develop and produce these three products, they will break the foreign monopoly.

1. Adjustment of import tariffs on printing equipment in 2011

[Abstract]: The Tariff Policy Commission of the State Council published the 2011 Tariff Implementation Plan on the Ministry of Finance website, announcing that as of January 1, 2011, China would further adjust its import and export tariff lines and rates. Compared with 2010, import tariffs on printing equipment and materials in 2011 rose in some cases and fell in others: tariffs rose on imported plates and computer-to-plate (CTP) equipment, while tariffs fell on imported inkjet heads.

Compared with the 2010 tariff implementation plan, the most-favored-nation tariff rates on imported PS plates and CTP plates in 2011 were both raised substantially, from 2.9 yuan/square meter in 2010 to 8.1 yuan/square meter in 2011, with an interim tariff rate of 4.7 yuan/square meter applied to CTP plates in 2011. Compared with previous years, there was a marked change in the interim tariff rates on imported printing equipment and materials in 2011. The zero-tariff policy on imported CTP equipment, in force since November 1, 2006, was abolished, with an interim tariff rate of 3% in 2011. Another change worthy of industry attention is that the interim import tariff rate on piezoelectric inkjet heads was reduced from 6% to 3%.

[Comment]: The zero tariff on imported CTP equipment was cancelled because the technology and output of domestic manufacturers have improved considerably compared with the past. Lowering the import tariff on inkjet heads helps inkjet printing press manufacturers reduce production costs.

1. Tariff cuts for the mainland on five types of printing presses purchased from Taiwan, China

[Abstract]: The Ministry of Commerce announced on its website that the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) across the Taiwan Strait officially took effect on September 12, 2010. To bring benefits to people on both sides as quickly as possible, the mainland has completed all preparatory work and fully implemented the Early Harvest Program on January 1, 2011. By

— This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362109.html