CRI听力:Duty Free Goods

According to the provisional policy on offshore duty-free shopping, all the duty-free items that travelers buy at the offshore tax-free stores must be carried by the travelers themselves onto the aircraft.

However, one traveler bought a watch at the tax-free store and passed the watch to an airport employee. She hoped the worker could get past customs, bypassing inspection. However, the airport employee was stopped by customs.

Zeng Zhaohui from customs explains:

"We have an alarm system at the customs inspection. When any duty-free commodity passes by, the alarm will ring. Therefore, our customs official had to verify the product, opening her bag to check it."

Although customs generously returned the watch to the buyer and let her get onboard with the watch, the guilty traveler would not be allowed to enjoy the offshore tax-free policy in the next three years. Here is Zeng Zhaohui again.

"The offshore tax-free policy is for travelers who are leaving the Hainan Island. It doesn't matter if you are from Hainan province or from another place, you are covered by the offshore tax-free policy only when you leave the island, which means you must get onboard to leave. If you buy the tax-free goods but don't leave the island, or you leave the island but you don't take all the tax-free goods you bought, you violate the rule."

Since last May, Hainan has opened two duty free shops in the island province, the first one in Sanya, and the second one in capital Haikou. Each visitor is allowed to buy 5000 yuan worth of duty free goods on one trip.

In order to carry out the offshore duty-free policy in an effective way, the local customs have installed many cameras at the duty-free stores and the departure hall of the airport. When flights are delayed or canceled and need to leave the departure hall, travelers are expected to leave the duty-free items at duty-free store, and get them back before getting onboard.

The customs regulation violations do not only happen in Hainan province. In the lead-up to the New Year, many people from the Chinese mainland go to Hong Kong to shop. However, some of them ignore the customs regulations about duty free goods. At the airport, some travelers take four or five cartons of cigarettes when they pass through customs while only one is allowed.

According to the Luohu customs in Shenzhen, most illegal goods brought by travelers are electronic products, such as iPhones, and luxury items such as handbags and watches.

"When travelers are found violating customs regulations, it will be recorded in the customs inspection system. If it's a critical violation, the violator will get administrative punishment, or will be criminally liable."

Customs officials remind travelers not to bring items for other people or strangers at customs inspection, so as to avoid being considered smugglers.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.