Facing the situation of slow customs clearance and large backlogs at the border gate in recent days, on April 1, 2020, the People's Committee of Lang Son province has reported and requested the Prime Minister to direct to remove difficulties for import and export activities and transport of goods through Lang Son province.

Implementing many solutions

According to the report of the People's Committee of Lang Son Province, after the Lunar New Year, due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Chinese side announced it would suspend the trade of goods through the border gates. This has caused import and export activities of goods across the province of Lang Son to face many difficulties. The border gates in the area left over 1,000 vehicles of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Solving this problem, the province has regularly checked and handled the situation and proposed many solutions and initiatives to overcome difficulties and problems, including promoting foreign affairs with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China to coordinate the implementation of epidemic prevention and facilitate the clearance of import and export goods.

According to Mr. Nguyen Cong Truong, Vice Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee, in the process of implementation, Lang Son province has also launched a number of solutions and initiatives to both ensure the prevention of epidemics and create favorable conditions for export and import goods, such as establishing a quarantine area for drivers and owners from China, isolated areas for drivers and cargo owners of Vietnam, isolated areas for loading and unloading staff, delivery and receipt of goods at border gates; seting up a specialized Vietnamese driving team to operate cargo vehicles to Chinese yards, etc. In particular, the provincial People's Committee has applied the initiative in letting car owners and drivers wear protective clothing moved into the border areas of China, while those transporting goods when returning do not have to perform isolation.

With positive solutions, there are six border gates in the province doing clearance for import and export goods with a capacity of about 1,200 vehicles/day. According to statistics, from February 5 to the end of March 31, 2020, border-gate customs units have completed procedures for 35,786 vehicles transporting import and export goods (18,197 vehicles for export goods and import procedures for 17,800 vehicles), equivalent to over 966,000 tons of goods with total import-export turnover across the region in the first quarter estimated at over $710 million, reaching 12.9% of the plan, down 34.3% over the same period last year (export turnover reached $420 million, down 37.3% over the same period. Import turnover is $290 million, down 29.3% over the same period). Main export items are agricultural products, accounting for 80% (dragon fruit, jackfruit, watermelon, bananas, mangoes, longan) imported goods are electronic components, machinery, equipment, and production materials.

Capacity has not met demand

With these solutions, Lang Son province has achieved certain results, but according to Mr. Nguyen Cong Truong, clearance capacity has not met the needs of exporting agricultural products and fruits of businesses in the country.

According to the report, by the end of March 31, the border gates in Lang Son province still have 1,615 cars waiting for export (mainly agricultural products and fresh fruit), especially Tan Thanh secondary gate has 884 vehicles (at Tan Thanh 668 vehicles, at the Po Chai - China 216 units), Huu Nghi international border gate has about 460 cars, the sub-border of Coc Nam has 109 cars, Chi Ma border gate has 162. In addition, there are more than 300 vehicles carrying agricultural products at some parking lots and along National Highway 1A road from Lang Son city to Huu Nghi border gate.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Truong emphasized that from March 30, the Chinese side has strengthened the prevention of the Covid-19 epidemic, they will control and strictly manage Chinese drivers and customs declaration agents going to the area the Vietnam’s isolate areas for transactions; do not allow drivers from Vietnam’s infected provinces to enter China. At the same time, it is proposed to set up a specialized driving team at the border gate of goods transporting between the pairs of Huu Nghi - Huu Nghi international border gates and the pair of Tan Thanh - Po Chai sub-border gates, requiring drivers who cannot leave Lang Son city and must have a negative test result for Covid-19 from epidemic-affected provinces. Only those named in the list of driving teams can carry import and export goods from the two sides.

In order to solve this situation, Lang Son province has repeatedly consulted with Guangxi for empty Chinese cars to quarantine at Tan Thanh border gate to receive goods to solve labor problems or set up a labor team to go to Po Chai, China for loading and unloading goods to increase clearance capacity. However, the Chinese side has not agreed to the means to receive goods and the transfer of Vietnamese labor has not reached a consensus on labor management and the method of transactions, as well as the handling price of loading and unloading goods.

Facing this fact, the People's Committee of Lang Son province proposed the Prime Minister to consider directing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in consulting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries of China to let  empty containers (container or small cars of border residents) to quarantine at Tan Thanh border gate during disease prevention to solve the amount of vehicles left in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were assigned to negotiate with the Chinese side to expand the list of Vietnam's agricultural and fruit products to be officially exported to the Chinese market; considering importing fruits, agricultural products, seafood of Vietnam through the pair of bilateral border gates Chi Ma (Vietnam) - Ai Diem (China) and appointing the export of some Chinese goods here; expanding the list of agricultural products and fruit for export through Dong Dang railway international border gate; restoring customs clearance at other checkpoints on the border on the basis of ensuring disease prevention.

Continuing to send documents to localities throughout the country to coordinate and recommend associations and import-export enterprises to restrict the introduction of fruits and agricultural products to Tan Thanh border gate in this period to avoid damage.

Source: Customs News