International Settlement

Translate Letter of credit 信用证 Beneficiary 受益人 Good faith 诚信 Draft 汇票 Negotiable instrument 可流通 票据

Sight draft 即期汇票 Time draft 远期汇票 Pay on demand 见票即付 Acceptance 承兑 Bill of landing 海运提单 Document of title 物权凭证

Dialogue 1 Good morning, Mr. Keller. What can I do for you? Good morning, Mrs.. White. I come to open a letter of credit. Very well. Who is the exporter?

Well, they are one of our new partners, a large Fishery corporation in China. Sounds good. Would you please fill out this application form so that we can start the arrangement?

Of course. The applicant … the beneficiary … the amount … the number of the sales contract … the latest shipping date … and the expiry date. (Handing in the form) Mr. Keller, we shall issue an irrevocable letter of credit for you and you will enjoy our most favored deposit requirement.

I appreciate it very much, Mr.. White. One more thing, could you make the clauses in the L/C in strict accordance with the stipulations in our Sales Contract so that unnecessary amendments to the L/C can be avoided?

We certainly will. If things go smoothly, the L/C will be issued by the end of this week. thank you very much. You are welcome.

D2 Good morning. L/C Department, National Bank. Good afternoon. This is Daniel Trading Co. Ltd. Yes? What can I do for you? We opened an L/C with your bank in favor of Lianyungang Fishery Corporation last month. But we have to make some amendment to the L/C.

Could you tell me the L/C number and the issuing date? The number is and the issuing date is Sept.6 Well, what is the amendment? We need one original and two copies of the certificate of origin together with the others documents.

Anything else? I think this is the only thing we want to add to the stipulations. You have to come to our office and confirm your amendment before we issue a formal amendment for you. Sure. I will go to your office this afternoon.

D3 Good morning, sir. What can I do for you? Good morning. Could you arrange an insurance for an import for our company? Of course. What kind of goods do you import and what kind of risk would you like to cover?

We are to import tin foil sheets by sea. Could you make a suggestion about the coverage? I think F.P.A will be enough. Why not All Risks? You know, all risks policy covers all losses occurring at time throughout the whole period of coverage. The goods you are importing are not delicate goods and cannot be much damaged in transit.

What does F.D.A. stand for, then? F.D.A. stands for “ Free from Particular Average ”. It covers you not only against partial loss in the case of minor perils such as damage by seawater, but also against total loss in the case of major perils such as sinking, collision and fire.

Thank you for your advice. Please arrange an F.P.A. policy for me.

D4 Documentation Department, Lianyungang Fishery Corporation. What can I do for you? This is bank of China. We are examining the documents you have presented under L/C.

I see. Are there any problems? I should say, yes. We have found two discrepancies in your documents, which will cause dishonor from the reimbursing bank. Could you kindly tell me what they are?

Well. The description of goods in your packing list is different from that in the L/C. and the Inspection Certificate fails to bear the L/C number, as is specified in the L/C.

(After checking) the description of goods in the packing list is misprinted and we will correct it. And we will contact the Inspection Bureau and make them add the L/C number on the certificate.

Could you get the correction ready by Friday? We do not want to delay the payment. No problem. Terribly sorry for causing you so much trouble. That ’ s quite all right.

The letter of credit The draft The bill of lading

The letter of credit The letter of credit is a financial instrument issued buy an importer ’ s bank obligates the bank pay the exporter (or other designated beneficiary) a specified amount of money once certain conditions are fulfilled.

Legally, the bank substitutes its good faith and credit for that of the importer in that it guarantees payment if the correct documents are submitted.

The Draft This instrument is simply a request for payment that is drawn up by the exporter (or by the exporter ’ s bank) and sent to the bank that drew up the letter of credit for the importer.

If the draft conforms to several legal requirements, it becomes a negotiable instrument that is particularly useful for financing international trade flows.

The Bill of Lading The bill of lading is a receipt issued to the exporters by a common carrier that acknowledges possession of the goods described on the face of the bill.

The bill of lading serves as a contract between the exporter and the shipping company. If it is properly prepared, a bill of lading is also a document of title that follows the merchandise throughout the transport process.

As a document of title, it can be used by the exporter either as collateral for loans prior to payment or as a means of obtaining payment (or acceptance of a time draft) before the goods are released to the importer.