Prince Kung to Anson Burlingame, June 25, 1863

Prince Kung to Mr. Burlingame

His Imperial Highness Prince Kung, chief secretary of the Chinese government for foreign affairs, herewith replies:

I have the honor to acknowledge a communication from your excellency, in which you show that the drawback certificates for half duty on goods stored for re-export should not be limited to three months, a period much too short, but ought to be extended to a full year. It appears that the merchants who bring native produce down the Yangtsze-Kiang to Shanghai pay full tariff export duty when it leaves its original port, and half duty when to be re-exported to another port. Such produce being duly reported to the customs, when the merchant wishes to send it out of port, pays half duty; and if it is within three months, he can re-enter it at another port on presentation of the drawback certificate, which is received as valid for the duty.

Now, since that, in the despatch under reply, your excellency observes that the time for three months, allowed in the drawback certificates, during which this produce must be re-exported, must be regarded as much too short, I have extended the limit to a year. Therefore, after this date, whenever produce, brought down the Yangtsy to Shanghai, has been reported to the customs for re-exportation at any time within a year, they shall, on ascertaining that the goods are in their original packages, neither broken open nor abstracted from, and their number and weight correct, and all particulars tally with the original report, grant a drawback certificate for half-duty, to be substituted for the former certificate, and delivered to the holder of the goods, as evidence of the duty having been paid.

I shall inform the superintendent of commerce respecting this regulation, and instruct him to send orders to the customs officers for them to act accordingly, and I now likewise send this reply to your excellency, requesting that you will inform yourself upon the whole subject.