Ningxia wine-making stoneware jars exported to Serbia for first time under FTA

(ECNS) -- A batch of wine-making stoneware jars from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has entered the Serbian market for the first time, backed by a preferential tariff certificate issued under the new China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement, according to local customs authorities.

Xingqing Customs in Yinchuan city, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region recently issued a preferential certificate of origin under the China-Serbia Free Trade Agreement for the stoneware jars exported by a local company to Serbia.

The certificate, often described as "paper gold" in international trade, allows the shipment to enjoy tariff reductions, effectively lowering the company's cross-border trade costs.

Wine-making stoneware jars are key vessels used in wine fermentation.

Made from natural clay, they have microporous and breathable qualities that help wine mature gradually and improve its taste. Compared with traditional oak barrels, stoneware jars allow wine to retain more of the grape's natural fruit aromas.

The vessels are also acid-resistant, stable, reusable and cost-effective.

Ding Tingting, a manager of the company, said thanks to the FTA certificate of origin, the tariff rate on the exported stoneware jars in Serbia dropped from 8% to 6.4%, significantly cutting export costs and improving the product's competitiveness in the international market.

The preferential export of wine-making stoneware jars represents another breakthrough for Ningxia in the foreign trade of wine-related upstream equipment, following its exports of corks.

It also signals that the local wine industry is moving beyond exporting finished wine products alone and expanding overseas with both finished products and supporting equipment across the industrial chain.

Serbia is a major wine-producing country in the Balkans and an important trade hub in Central and Eastern Europe, with broad market potential.

As China-Serbia wine trade continues to grow, exports of wine-related equipment from Ningxia are expected to expand further, according to local official.

(By Helen Mo, intern Wu Jingjing)