On May 26, 1994, President Clinton announced the renewal of Most Favored Nation trading status for the People's Republic of China. At the same time, however, in light of "continuing human rights abuses" in China, he announced certain trading sanctions against that country. One of the sanctions was a ban on the importation of munitions from China.
China is one of the countries on the State Department's "proscribed list," a list of countries as to which it is "the policy of the United States to deny licenses and other approvals" for the importation of munitions. Although China's status on the proscribed list has varied through the years, it has been explicitly listed since 1993 as one of the countries with which the United States maintains an arms embargo. Arms may not be imported from any country on the proscribed list, including countries with which the United States maintains an arms embargo, absent a special exception or suspension of the regulation by the Office of Defense Trade Controls in the Department of State.
Prior to 1994, China was exempted from the effects of its inclusion on the proscribed list, which meant that for as long as the exemption was in effect, arms could be imported from China by licensed importers who obtained import permits. On May 28, 1994, however, two days after the President announced the arms embargo against China, the Secretary of State advised the Secretary of the Treasury that China's exemption from the proscribed list was terminated "effective immediately on the basis of U.S. foreign policy." In light of the decision to revoke China's exemption from the proscribed list, the Secretary of State requested the Secretary of the Treasury to "take all necessary steps to prohibit the import of all defense articles enumerated in the U.S. Munitions List."
The two Treasury Department agencies principally responsible for administering and enforcing arms import regulations -- the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) and the Customs Service -- thereafter embarked on a series of steps to implement the Chinese arms embargo. Immediately after the President announced the embargo, the Customs Service directed that all shipments of arms from China be detained. Customs subsequently advised its field agents that the embargo was effective as of May 28, 1994, and that all permits for importing arms from China had been rendered null and void. On June 27, 1994, BATF advised companies holding permits to import munitions from China that the embargo became effective on May 28 and that their permits were revoked as of that date. Congress subsequently enacted legislation that ameliorated the effect of the ban by providing that it would not be enforced with respect to shipments that, as of May 26, 1994, were in a bonded warehouse or foreign trade zone, in port, or in transit to the United States.
Banned imported parts?
In light of the banned importation of Chinese AK parts in to the U.S. we have combined the key AK parts into three different tiers based on the order in which they will need replaced. If you own a Chinese PolyTech or Norinco type AK-47 now is the time to stock up on extra parts, before they become rare and very expensive. Everyone knows eventually gun parts wear out and need replaced. We have a very limited supply on most of these parts and when they are gone don't expect you will buy them on an auction site because due to no more importation, they may not be available there either. Keep in mind, a gun without a firing pin is no more than a paperweight! Collectors may want to include a spare parts kit with your weapon as well to increase the value! Collect all three!
Must Have parts:
**Note** These PRC Type 56-pattern parts will be specific to the PolyTech or Norinco as the receivers and barrels are of somewhat different dimensions on Chinese compared to other European receiver types. With that being said, in some cases there will be no other way to replace these needed parts when they are gone. We can only guarantee the proper fit and function of these parts on rifles imported by Keng's Firearms Specialty, Inc. between 1985 and 1989.
