LEAD-ZINC SUPPLIER PRACTICE · SOUTHEAST ASIA → CHINA
Lead-Zinc Delivery to China: Locations and Responsibilities
Specify where delivery takes place, then separately agree transport, customs, inspection, risk, title and payment conditions.
‘Cargo in Hai Phong’, ‘FOB available’ and ‘can ship to China’ are starting points. A workable proposal connects the exact location, cargo status, responsible parties and allocation of obligations.
- Separate origin, storage and delivery
- Distinguish port FOB from land-border handover
- Separate arrival, clearance, title and payment
GET THE LOCATIONS RIGHT
Distinguish three locations in one proposal
Origin
Which country, mine or production source does the material actually come from? The supplier’s location is not the cargo’s origin. Available origin evidence must correspond to the lot.
Current storage
Is it at a mine, processing plant, domestic warehouse, port area or elsewhere? Give the precise location, lot markings and checks that can currently be arranged.
Proposed delivery
At which terminal, which side of a border or which receiving point in China will handover occur? Identify an executable point, required cargo status and supporting documents.
- Origin and storageCountry · lot · owner
- Port or land crossingExact point · handover status
- Receiving directions in ChinaQinzhou · Fangcheng · Nansha
PORTS, LAND BORDERS AND ARRIVAL IN CHINA
Check six delivery directions individually
RTV can discuss FOB at agreed loading ports in Laem Chabang, Hai Phong or Ho Chi Minh City, or separately negotiated land delivery at Boten in Laos or an agreed Vietnam crossing. Other locations are preferably discussed on an arrival-in-China transaction basis. This checklist does not confirm that any route already meets export, transport or acceptance conditions.
| Direction | Negotiable arrangement | Location and status to identify | Further checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laem Chabang, Thailand | Loading-port FOB open to discussion | Named terminal, loading point, shipping arrangements and cargo status | Check the exporter, available documents, pre-carriage and testing arrangements; confirm the contractual delivery milestone. |
| Hai Phong, Vietnam | Loading-port FOB open to discussion | Specific terminal, storage point and proposed shipping lot | Storage in Hai Phong establishes neither Vietnamese origin nor export readiness. Check source, exporter and available documents separately. |
| Agreed Ho Chi Minh City terminal | Loading-port FOB open to discussion | Exact port/terminal and handover method | ‘Ho Chi Minh City’ alone is insufficient. State when goods are handed to the carrier and check the rule against the actual transport arrangement. |
| Boten, Laos | Land delivery, separately agreed | Exact border handover point, side and cargo status | Agree cross-border transport, declarants, transfer/loading, sampling and responsibilities before/after clearance. Do not label it ‘land FOB’. |
| Agreed Vietnam land crossing | Land delivery, separately agreed | Named crossing, handover point and transport arrangement | Establish route eligibility, executing parties on both sides and required records before negotiating costs and receipt. |
| Qinzhou / Fangcheng / Nansha, China | Arrival transaction open to discussion as a preferred option | Specify arrival, discharge, warehousing, clearance or cargo available for collection | Define the rule and actual handover status. Arrival alone confirms neither customs clearance, quality acceptance nor title transfer. |
MATCH THE RULE TO THE HANDOVER
FOB does not replace the full allocation of responsibilities
Name the loading port and rule version
If the parties use FOB under Incoterms® 2020, identify the named port and precise point. FOB is for sea or inland waterway transport. Its usual delivery and risk-transfer point is on board the buyer-nominated vessel, not a truck reaching a warehouse or cargo entering a port area.Reference: ICC Incoterms® 2020: FOB ↗
Separate the usual allocation from additional agreements
Under the usual FOB allocation, the seller handles export formalities and delivery on board; the buyer arranges the relevant main carriage and import formalities. Specify operators, vessel scheduling, cost items, exceptions and contractual additions rather than writing only ‘costs as per FOB’.Reference: ICC Incoterms® 2020: FOB ↗
Check the rule if handover precedes loading on board
Where goods go to a carrier at a container terminal before loading on board, ICC suggests considering FCA or another suitable arrangement. Discuss the match first; this does not automatically replace RTV’s negotiable FOB option with another confirmed quotation.Reference: ICC Incoterms® 2020: FOB ↗
Agree risk, title and payment separately
Incoterms rules do not determine title transfer or replace contractual payment timing, method and currency. Inspection acceptance, loading, title documents, cleared funds and warehouse formalities are separate matters, not one assumed milestone.Reference: ICC Incoterms® 2020: scope of the rules ↗
MAKE RESPONSIBILITIES EXECUTABLE
Discuss seven areas alongside price
- Delivery and receipt conditions
- Exact point, required status, documents and confirming party; treatment if conditions are unmet.
- Export and import parties
- Exporter, declarants and parties supplying origin/product records; how the Chinese importer and acceptance eligibility are checked.
- Transport and insurance
- Who arranges each leg and engages carriers; who arranges insurance and which risks it covers. Do not infer this from a port name.
- Weighing, sampling and testing
- At which stage, for which lot, commissioned and witnessed by whom, which results govern and how they relate to handover quantity.
- Costs and exceptional charges
- Allocate freight, handling, storage, port, customs-service, testing and applicable tax/duty costs individually. Agree confirmation of examination, delays, retesting and other extras.
- Risk, title and payment
- Separate triggers, evidence, approvals and confirmation. Transport risk transfer is not automatically title transfer or an instruction to pay.
- Deviations and termination handling
- Agree suspension, review, notice and handling for quantity/assay differences, document discrepancies, lack of clearance or route ineligibility.
UNPACK VAGUE STATEMENTS
Clear in a message, unclear on site
| Statement | Where the risk lies | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| ‘The cargo is already in a Hai Phong warehouse’ | Storage does not establish authority to sell, export or deliver | Verify the owner relationship, authority, origin, exporter and documents before assessing execution of the proposed route. |
| ‘It has reached the terminal, so FOB is complete’ | Port entry, carrier handover and loading on board differ | Check delivery evidence, responsibilities and cargo status under the actual terms. A gate-in photo alone does not prove loading on board. |
| ‘For Boten delivery, just write FOB’ | A land handover does not match FOB’s transport mode | Specify the side, point, transfer, customs and evidence, then use an agreement consistent with the actual arrangement. |
| ‘It has arrived in China: pay and collect now’ | Arrival, clearance, availability, title and payment conditions remain separate | Verify agreed status and documents, then complete contractual confirmations. A vessel-arrival message alone is not a settlement trigger. |
BEFORE SUBMISSION
Use available facts for a verifiable proposal
Propose a route using the information available and mark unknown items. Do not promise unverified export permissions, clearance times, tax rates, freight costs or third-party capacity. The parties can then allocate responsibilities for the actual lot.
Delivery proposal fields
LEAD-ZINC CARGO DELIVERY PROPOSAL Material, lot, available quantity and units: Origin and available source records: Current storage, cargo owner and my role: Exporter and available documents: Proposed loading terminal / land crossing / receiving port in China: Exact handover point, status and rule/version: Transport, customs and insurance for each leg: Weighing, sampling, testing stages and commissioned scope: Included/excluded costs and confirmation of exceptional charges: Separate risk, title and payment conditions: Unconfirmed matters and records that can be provided: Contact details: This checklist organises a proposal; it is not a contract, export permission or receipt confirmation.
FURTHER CHECKS
Questions before offering cargo
Can a Thai or Vietnamese trader state local origin automatically?
No. A trader’s location does not determine origin. Provide actual source, current storage and proposed delivery separately, with available lot-specific evidence.
Does an arrival-in-China transaction mean CIF or duty-paid delivery?
‘Arrival’ alone does not define a trade rule. Specify rules, risk milestones, carriage, import formalities and costs, then define the cargo status constituting agreed handover.
Does RTV always pay customs-service, port or testing charges?
There is no uniform commitment. State the proposed route, executing parties, included and excluded costs. Allocation and confirmation of exceptional charges are agreed per lot and contract.
Do confirmed documents and a port guarantee Chinese import approval?
No. Material type, composition, source, documents and actual import requirements still need review. Location or main-metal grade cannot replace that assessment.
OFFER CARGO TO RTV
Start with the lot; then agree checks and delivery
Share available assays, site photos, location and quantity. Mark unknown items. Submission does not confirm a purchase, import eligibility or settlement.
Technical terms refer to the public sources linked above, checked 2026-10-24. Testing follows applicable methods and the agreed plan; transaction responsibilities follow the parties’ contract. References imply no endorsement of RTV by testing organisations or rule publishers.