Import English article into China (7)
I believe the answer is:
meaning
'import' is the definition.
(I know that import can be written as meaning)
'english article into china' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'E' (abbreviation as in OED).
'article' becomes 'an' (indefinite article).
'into' is an insertion indicator.
'china' becomes 'ming' (Chinese porcelain from the Ming dynasty).
'e'+'an'='ean'
'ean' inserted into 'ming' is 'MEANING'.
(Other definitions for meaning that I've seen before include "Purpose, intent" , "Significance" , "Sense intended" , "Import; intending" , "Gist" .)