Analysis of the Current Status of Agency Cooperation for Imported Equipment

According to the data from the General Administration of Customs of China for the first quarter of 2025, the industrialEquipment ImportsThe year-on-year growth reached 18.7%, with transactions completed through agency channels accounting for 73% of the total. Currently, there are three mainstream cooperation models in the market:Single-agent system(23%),dual-track agency system(58%),Multi-line agency system(19%). Enterprises of different scales can choose suitable solutions based on their business characteristics.

Comparison of Three Agency Cooperation Models

• Advantages of the Single-Agency System
  • A unified interface reduces communication costs.
  • Accumulated order volume for better rates
  • A dedicated service team provides end-to-end follow-up.
• Characteristics of the Dual-Track Agency System
  • Core equipment and consumables are managed separately.
  • Regional markets adopt different service providers.
  • Establish a virtuous competition to enhance service quality
• Application Scenarios of Multi-line Proxy System
  • Procurement of equipment involving multiple countries
  • Differences in Certification Requirements for Special Industries
  • Annual procurement exceeds $5 million.

Key Points of Multi-Agent Collaborative Management

Enterprises adopting a dual-agent or above model must establishThree Major Control Mechanisms:

• Establish a unified information sharing platform to avoid customs declaration data conflicts.
• Establish a standardized service assessment system (on-time rate ≥98%, document error rate ≤0.5%).
• Clearly define the responsibility matrix, especially for tax compliance processes.

Interpretation of New Industry Regulatory Rules for 2025

Announcement No. 2025-17 of the General Administration of Customs clearly stipulates:

• For the same HS-coded equipment, an operational record must be filed if annual imports exceed three batches.
• Electromechanical equipment must provide the qualification certificate of the authorized service agent.
• Payments involving royalties must be declared separately.

Typical Industry Collaboration Model Case Studies

Case 1:Medical EquipmentImport
A top-tier hospital adopted a dual-agent system, where Agent A is responsible for imaging equipment (HS Code 6.9018) and Agent B handles testing reagents (HS Code 3822). This specialized division of labor reduced customs clearance time by 40%.

Case Two: Precision Instrument Procurement
Semiconductor companies adopt a model of selecting one primary agent and three regional agents, ensuring the core supply chain for Japanese lithography machines while utilizing regional agents to handle auxiliary equipment, thereby reducing logistics costs by 28%.

Decision Recommendations and Risk Warnings

• Annual import volume < $1 million suggests single agency.
• For multiple product lines, prioritize a dual-track system.
• Be vigilant against the risk of duplicate document submissions caused by multiple agents.
• Pay attention to the consistency of quotation benchmarks among multiple service providers.

Enterprises should select an agency cooperation model that ensures operational safety while being cost-effective, based on factors such as actual import scale, product complexity, and supplier geographical distribution. It is recommended to conduct annual KPI evaluations of agency service providers to dynamically optimize the cooperation structure.