"This has helped customs officers to turn over 3.2 billion yuan (US$385 million) worth of confiscated goods to the State treasury," a spokesman for the Beijing-based General Administration of Customs (GAC) said yesterday.

Over the past year, a total of 1,719 smuggling suspects involving 1,849 cases have been turned over by customs inspectors to the judiciary agencies for further criminal charges.

In addition, customs' anti-smuggling police have investigated a total of 19,784 cases involving violations of customs rules by enterprises. Imported or exported goods involved in such cases are valued at 4.93 billion yuan (US$594 million).

During such investigation, nearly 5,660 enterprises were found to have been involved in 1,777 incidents of tax evasion.

While imposing fines of 152 million yuan (US$18.3 million) on these enterprises, GAC forced them to pay 802 million yuan (US$96.6 million) in taxes that were returned to public coffers.

China will insist on a policy of imposing high pressure on enterprises involved in smuggling, said Mou Xinsheng, head of GAC, indicating that such illegal activities are still rampant.

Mou pledged to intensify the administration and law-enforcing functions of customs authorities to regulate the behavior of enterprises involved in foreign trade.

Mou made it clear that customs authorities will effectively fence off smuggling by enterprises and maintain a normal import and export order through a series of measures, including risk management, checks on enterprises, trade investigations and administrative penalties.

Mou urged anti-smuggling inspectors to support the State's revenue target by tightening up its supervision over illegal pricing and tax dodging and evasion by enterprises.

( June 7, 2002)