Simplified Import/Export Rules for Lithium Thionyl Chloride Batteries

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Commerce, and General Administration of Customs issued a joint notice in December 2025, effective January 1, 2026, simplifying import and export regulatory measures for certain lithium thionyl chloride batteries.  The notice was motivated by the finding that batteries with a low thionyl chloride filling amount are difficult to disassemble and pose an extremely low risk of thionyl chloride extraction or dispersal.
Under the new measures, batteries or battery packs with a thionyl chloride filling amount of no more than 1 kg per unit are removed from the scope of China's controlled chemicals regulations and the dual-use export control list. Importers and exporters of products within this threshold no longer need to obtain the Monitoring Chemical Import and Export Approval Certificate or the Dual-Use Items and Technologies Import and Export Licence. Companies must, however, still truthfully declare the thionyl chloride filling amount per individual battery or battery pack in the specification and model field of customs declarations. Products exceeding the 1 kg threshold, as well as those subject to other applicable regulatory requirements, remain fully subject to existing chemical control, export control, and customs procedures.
Source: MIIT Joint Notice, December 2025 (in Chinese)