Law of the People's Republic of China on the entry and exit animal and plant quarantine (Order No. 53 of 1991).

This Act intends to prevent infectious or parasitic diseases of animals, plant diseases, insect pests and weeds dangerous to plants, and other harmful organisms from spreading into or out of the country, to protect the production of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery as well as human health, and to promote the development of foreign economic relations and trade. It establishes the main principle that all animals and plants, their products, containers and packaging materials used for carrying animals and plants, as well as all means of transport from animal or plant epidemic areas shall, on entry or exit, be subject to quarantine inspection. To this end, provision is made for quarantine procedures (inspection, supervision, etc.), for the creation of an animal and plant quarantine department and for the powers and functions of the relevant inspection authorities, in particular the port animal and plant quarantine offices. Following the so-called general provisions (chap. I), special attention is given to quarantine procedures (application form, quarantine certificate, place of quarantine, isolation requirements, preventive measures, diseases classes, etc.) for importation into China (chap. II), exportation from China (chap. III) and transit through China (chap. IV) of animals, animal products, plant seed, seedlings or other propagating material. In addition to the quarantine procedures and rules, the Act describes under each aforesaid chapter the functions of the respective inspection authorities, namely of the port animal and plant quarantine offices, the customs and the department of agriculture administration. This legislative instrument also deals with quarantine of materials (plant seeds, seedlings, catalogues of animals and plants, animals, animals products and plants or other contagious material) carried by passengers or by post (chap. V) and the quarantine of means of transport (chap. VI). Both chapters lay out the quarantine inspection procedures, the precautionary measures to avoid diseases and the rules in case of discovery of any disease, insect pest or harmful organism. The last chapters of this Act are devoted to offences and sanctions in case of violation of these quarantine procedures (chap. VII) and to the definition of the key terms like animal, plant, animal product, plant product, etc. (chap. VIII). It is interesting to note that the term "animal" includes inter alia fish.