A new judicial explanation by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) on September 9 clears up ambiguities about the punishment of smugglers.

The document, jointly released by the Supreme People's Procuratorate, states that if the amount of customs duty which a person evades through smuggling reaches 100,000 yuan ($16,200), the person will face a criminal charge.

If the amount reaches 500,000 yuan ($79,365), the case will be considered serious and, if it reaches 2.5 million yuan ($396,830), the case will be deemed extremely serious.

These articles fill the blank left by the current Criminal Law that does not set clear conditions for criminal penalties in smuggling cases, said an SPC statement.

The judicial explanation also clarifies the definition of arms smuggling. Current law uses the terms "military arms" and "non-military arms." The new document defines "firearms" and those powered by other means, such as air guns.