How to export sugar confectionery from the UK to China

Start with the manufacturer's registration

For ordinary imports, sugar confectionery and sweets (HS6 170410/170490) require GACC manufacturer registration. Confirm the product's application route in GACC's registration system; manufacturers generally apply themselves or through an agent without an exporting-authority recommendation. The UK-China food safety MoU effective on 29 January 2026 provides the cooperation mechanism for UK batch registration. Allow months, not weeks; GACC decides. Packaging must show the China registration number or the number approved by the manufacturer's home authority.

HMRC recorded £564k of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 170410, 170490 in 2025 (2024: £1.3m, -57.7%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £2.0m. January to July 2026: £252k against £277k in the same months of 2025 (-9%).

Price against the Chinese duty lines

Chinese tariff line 17041000 covers chewing gum, whether or not sugar-coated; other sugar confectionery without cocoa, including white chocolate, falls under 17049000. The table shows MFN duty. Import VAT has a standard rate of 13%, subject to statutory exceptions, on customs value plus duty plus any consumption tax. The importer's customs broker confirms VAT treatment and whether consumption tax applies to these sweets. Border taxes add to landed cost and shape the price an importer can offer.

Prepare the sweets' label and standards review

Ordinary imports of prepackaged sweets need a compliant Chinese label naming the origin and the domestic agent's name, address and contact details. Include GB 17399-2016, the confectionery food safety standard, in the product review. GB 7718-2025 takes effect on 16 March 2027; check artwork against both the current labelling rules and that forthcoming standard before committing to packaging.

Give the UK declarant the right product details

For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, obtain a GB EORI number and establish the correct UK commodity code. The online export declaration needs the goods' value, weight and packaging, destination and transport details, and invoice and packing list references. Agree who will submit it before dispatch.

The largest listed UK export line to mainland China under HS 170490 in 2025 was 17049055, throat pastilles and cough drops, at £330k. Match your own sweets to their actual UK export line: chewing gum uses HS6 170410, while non-cocoa confectionery uses HS6 170490.

Use cross-border retail for personal-use orders

China's cross-border e-commerce retail import list includes 17041000 for chewing gum and 17049000 for other non-cocoa confectionery. Through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 retail channels, listed goods are supervised as personal-use articles and first-import licence, registration and filing requirements are not applied, subject to the stated suspension and emergency-risk exceptions.

This route cannot supply stock for resale. Consumers must accept a risk notice before ordering; the goods may have no Chinese pack label, with a Chinese electronic label available on the website. The overseas business bears the main product quality and safety responsibility and must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability.

Find and check the Chinese trading partner

Ask a prospective importer which route it intends to use, who will review the sweets' label and standards, and how it will calculate landed cost. Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached you, our staff check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed.

We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and any required cross-border e-commerce agent stay with licensed partners in China; the brand's own filings stay the brand's. We check with licensed partners. Use our export service to discuss your sweets and proposed route.