China’s changes to chemical registration procedures and proposed operating-permit rules are widening the compliance responsibilities facing manufacturers and importers, according to Compliance Week. In a guest column, the outlet described a framework that increasingly connects substance approvals with purchasing, storage, production and the allocation of responsibilities across suppliers and Chinese importers.
The Ministry of Emergency Management published proposed revisions to hazardous-chemical operating-permit measures on 21 September, with public consultation running through 22 October. The draft distinguishes between operations without storage, chemical shops, petrol stations, storage businesses and warehousing. It also covers electronic permits and licensing responsibilities. These provisions remain proposals rather than final law, Compliance Week noted.
Under the draft, operating a hazardous-chemical business without the necessary permit could attract fines of RMB100,000 to RMB500,000. Operators buying hazardous chemicals from businesses operating illegally without the required authorisation could face fines of RMB200,000 to RMB500,000. The proposed purchasing penalty makes suppliers’ authorisation relevant alongside the buyer’s own operating permissions.
Separately, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment changed the process for new chemical substances from 15 August, following the entry into force of China’s Ecological and Environmental Code. Businesses previously eligible to use an environmental-management filing route must instead apply for registration before manufacturing or importing, following the relevant simplified-registration procedure and timetable, the outlet reported.
The ministry also no longer accepts new-chemical registration applications directly from overseas companies. China-based importers can apply under the applicable framework. For multinational manufacturers, this requires attention to which entity submits an application, which imports the substance and whether supplier arrangements and internal records accurately reflect those responsibilities.
Compliance Week also reported that four chemicals and 482 previously registered new substances had been added to China’s Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances. Listing alone does not resolve every compliance requirement: intended uses and applicable restrictions still need consideration. The column urged businesses to connect regulatory records with actual operations and review them when corporate names, suppliers, importers or manufacturing arrangements change, rather than treating chemical registration as an isolated administrative task.