China to Set up Four More Duty-Free Shops

China will establish four new downtown duty-free shops in eastern coastal cities, according to a government working conference held Thursday, December 28, in Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

Approved by the State Council, the four duty-free shops will be built in the next three years in the urban areas of Shanghai, Dalian, Qingdao, and Xiamen.

China currently has only one such duty-free shop in downtown Beijing which opened in 1990.

The shops, while under the supervision of customs, will mainly offer duty-free goods for overseas tourists.

Gai Zhixin, general manager of China Duty-Free Goods Group Company said that duty-free shops are the result of booming tourism in the country. He said that China does have many duty- free shops built at international ports, but tourists do not have enough time to shop as they enter and leave the ports.

The China Duty-Free Goods Group Company will cooperate with reputable local dealers in building the new inner city duty-free shops. The shop in Shanghai will open to public in March of 2001.

Duty-free shops first appeared in China in 1979. China now has about 150 such shops scattering in about 90 port cities and 24 provinces.

People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/