Car entry points designated

The State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) issued a new auto industry development report, in which it designated four harbors and three land ports for car imports. The four harbors include Dalian harbor in Liaoning province, Tianjin harbor, Shanghai harbor and Huangpu harbor in Guangdong province. The land ports are Shenzhen, Guangdong province; Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Alataw Pass, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The report replaces its 1994 predecessor and will regulate China's car sector, which finished its three-year reprieve from WTO requirements this year. According to customs figures, China imported 172,683 automobiles in 2003, double the total for 2001. In the first four months of 2004 China imported 43,544 cars.