Steel Export Licenses
Date:2026-01-28
The Core Control Mechanism of the License System: How to Precisely Combat "Paying for Others"
The steel export license system is not simply a piece of paper, but a crucial node embedded in a multi-departmental collaborative system involving customs, taxation, foreign exchange, and commerce. Its effectiveness in curbing "paying for others" is primarily achieved through the following mechanisms:
Entity Binding and Source Traceability
Real-Name License Application: Applicants must be enterprises with import and export rights, and the declared information (such as commodity codes, specifications, quantities, and amounts) must strictly correspond to the information of the production enterprise and the purchase and sale contract.
Penetrating Supervision: Regulatory departments (especially customs) will verify the consistency between the license information and the customs declaration, the actual goods, and the source of the production enterprise during clearance. This makes exporting under someone else's name (i.e., "paying for others") extremely difficult, as any mismatch in information at any stage will lead to customs clearance obstruction.
Data Closed Loop and Information Transparency
Full-Process Traceability: From license issuance and customs declaration to foreign exchange receipt and tax refund, a data chain is formed with the license number as the key index. Information sharing mechanisms among departments such as commerce, customs, taxation, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange are increasingly完善 (perfected/improved).
"Buying the Bill" Chain Revealed: Under the data closed loop, the separation between the "seller" (who only provides the documents) and the "real cargo owner" becomes immediately apparent. For example, if Company A holds a license and declares the goods, but Company B produces the goods, and Company C is the recipient of the payment, the system will immediately trigger a risk warning, and regulatory authorities can easily intervene in the investigation.
Increased Cost and Risk of Violations
Clear Legal Liability: Buying and selling licenses and using false licenses for customs declaration are clear illegal acts, subject to customs administrative penalties (fines, confiscation, and downgrading of credit rating). Those constituting crimes will be prosecuted according to law.
Associative Sanctions: Once a company is found to have engaged in "buying the bill," not only will the current export be damaged, but its customs credit rating, export tax refund eligibility, and future license applications will also be severely affected, making the cost of violations extremely high.
Direct Transmission of Regulatory Intent
Precise Policy "Drip Irrigation": The government can directly impose its regulatory intent on every legitimate export entity by adjusting the total number, categories, and pace of license issuance. This deprives companies attempting to circumvent total volume controls by "buying" licenses of their target channels.
Suppressing Arbitrage Opportunities: When licenses become scarce and controlled resources, their acquisition and use become more standardized, significantly reducing the market demand and supply for "selling" licenses.
