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The State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China (SCIO, 国务院新闻办公室) is the State Council office that releases the government's official white papers, runs the SCIO press conferences and the briefings on State Council policies, and publishes the transcripts afterwards. It is also the venue where China's customs administration presents the quarterly import and export figures. This guide explains what the information office publishes, which of its documents you can lean on when you are documenting an apparel shipment, how to read a white paper without mistaking position for rule, and where the actual regulation lives, because SCIO informs while MOFCOM writes the trade rule and GACC clears the cargo at the port.
On the Shelf
Latest ReleasesChina's import and export in the first three quarters of 2026, presented by customs officials
Press conference on preparations for the 9th China International Import Expo
Stepping up efforts to address delayed payments to small and medium enterprises
Published directory of government spokespersons
Jurisdiction
Three Beijing bodies sit behind a garment shipment into China, and they do three different jobs. The information office is the one that explains; it is not the one that regulates. Knowing which office owns which decision is the fastest way to avoid citing the wrong document in a commercial dispute.
The State Council office that publishes official white papers, holds press conferences and policy briefings, and then releases the transcripts and the spokesperson directory. Its job is to inform the public and the press about government policy.
The Ministry of Commerce drafts foreign trade and foreign investment law, negotiates trade agreements, runs trade remedy cases and administers export controls. When a rule has legal effect, MOFCOM is the body that made it.
The General Administration of Customs classifies goods, collects duty, issues the certificate of origin and releases the cargo at the port. Its officials present the national trade totals at an SCIO briefing, but the ruling on your shipment is issued by customs, not by the information office.
The Reading Room
The English portal is organised as a reading room rather than a news feed. The white paper library is indexed by year from 2017 through 2026, and it sits next to a live press room. Each format carries a different weight when you cite it, so it is worth knowing which one you are holding.
Full length policy documents issued under the office, published on the English portal with the full text, an abstract and the release date.
Regular press conferences where ministries and agencies take questions, including the customs briefing on China's quarterly import and export totals.
The policy briefing series that walks through a specific measure after it is decided, with the officials responsible answering questions on it.
Written transcripts published after the event. This is the version to quote when a spoken answer matters to your documentation.
A published directory of spokespersons, so a trade desk can identify the correct office and the correct contact before sending a query.
Chinese and English editions of the same release, which is why a binding detail should always be checked against the Chinese original.
The Document Shelf
Six official white papers whose subject matter touches trade, export control, freight and carbon policy. Titles and dates are reproduced as published on the official English portal, so each one can be found directly in the white paper library.
The stated framework for the export control regime that governs controlled materials, machinery and technologies moving across the border.
Relevant to buyers tracking carbon reporting and energy policy that feeds into factory level supplier disclosures.
Covers the infrastructure and trade corridor programme that shapes freight routes and gateway choices across the region.
The stated approach to development finance and cooperation, useful background when a buyer is assessing partner country programmes.
Transport and logistics policy background, including the road, rail and port investment that carries regional freight.
The government's own account of its WTO membership, commitments and record, useful when a buyer or bank asks for China's stated position.
Press Room
The press room is the live half of the reading room. Ministries announce and explain, journalists ask, and the transcript follows. For an export trade desk the most useful recurring item is the customs briefing, because that is where China's import and export totals are released first.
The customs briefing that carries the national trade totals for the quarter.
The advance notice for the press conference on preparations for the import expo.
An organised reporting trip, the format the office uses to take the press to a region or sector.
A policy briefing that walks through a measure affecting supplier cash flow.
The reference list that tells a trade desk which office speaks for which subject.
The written record of each event, published after the fact and indexed under the transcripts section.
Primary Source Discipline
A government information office is a strong citation and a weak authority at the same time. It is strong because the release is official and dated. It is weak because publishing a position does not create an obligation. Five habits keep the distinction clean.
Quote the release or the briefing transcript rather than a news summary. When a document matters to a buyer, a bank or a customs broker, the transcript is the version that carries the full answer instead of an excerpt.
A release date is not an effective date. Check the measure the release describes for when the rule actually begins to apply, and whether it applies to goods already in transit.
A white paper explains the government's position. The obligation that binds a shipment lives in the law, the licensing catalogue or the customs announcement. Cite the white paper for intent, and the implementing document for compliance.
Where the English and Chinese editions differ on a binding detail, treat the Chinese edition as the reference and have the wording checked before you commit to an interpretation with a supplier.
Before relying on a statement, confirm the owner: MOFCOM for trade law, licensing and export control, and GACC for classification, duty, origin and release. The information office can tell you what was said; those two decide what applies.
Read With Care
The single most useful distinction on this page. Both columns below are official. Only one of them obliges you to do something at the border.
Published to inform the public, the press and the market. Usable as an official record of position, of intent and of the numbers.
Published to apply. This is what an auditor, a broker or a dispute will test your shipment against.
Commercial Benchmarks
Factory gate prices for the garment types most often shipped on China bound orders. Prices are per piece at volume in Philippine pesos, with approximate conversions, and exclude freight, duty and the Chinese import value added tax.
Heavy honeycomb or cotton polyester blend with reinforced collar and a tailored placket. Custom chest embroidery or transfer included.
100 percent combed cotton single jersey at 180 to 200 GSM, double needle stitched hems, pre shrunk, with screen print or DTF application.
Micro dry moisture wicking polyester with all over dye sublimation printing, breathable mesh side inserts and an antibacterial finish.
Continue with the authority and agreement guides that pair with primary source research on China trade.
FAQ
Clear guidance for Philippine apparel exporters, China importers and trade compliance teams who want to use official Chinese government information as a primary source.
The State Council Information Office (SCIO) is the State Council office that publishes the Chinese government's official white papers, runs the SCIO press conferences and the briefings on State Council policies, and publishes the transcripts afterwards. Its English portal carries a white paper library indexed by year from 2017 through 2026.
No. The information office informs. It publishes documents, holds briefings and releases transcripts. The Ministry of Commerce writes and negotiates trade law and administers export controls, and the General Administration of Customs classifies goods, collects duty and releases cargo at the port. Customs officials present China's trade totals at an SCIO briefing, but the ruling on a shipment comes from customs.
Not as the rule itself. A white paper states the government's position and explains policy, so it is a primary source for intent and for the official account of a policy. The obligation that binds a shipment sits in the law, the licensing catalogue or the customs announcement. Cite the white paper for position and the implementing document for compliance.
The press room on the official English portal carries press conferences, the briefings on State Council policies, a transcripts section and the notices that announce upcoming events. The transcript is the version to quote when a spoken answer matters, because the published text carries the full statement rather than a summary.
The office hosts the briefing at which the customs administration presents China's import and export totals. At the briefing on October 14, 2026, customs officials reported goods trade of 39.94 trillion yuan for the first nine months of 2026, about US$5.94 trillion, up 18.8 percent year on year, with imports growing faster than exports. For a single apparel line or an HS code figure, the underlying customs release is the source to use.
China's Export Controls for controlled materials and machinery, China and the World Trade Organization for the government's own account of its commitments, and Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality for the direction of energy and carbon reporting policy. Each is published with its full text and its release date on the official English portal.
Contact
Our international trade desk helps Philippine exporters, China importers and apparel brands with HS classification, ACFTA Form E and RCEP documentation, duty planning and bulk production quotes for China bound orders.
