U.S. gets tough on Vietnamese goods’ origin traceability
U.S. gets tough on Vietnamese goods’ origin traceability
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials will not pay much attention to certificates of origin provided by Vietnamese exporters for their products but will take steps to trace the origin of these products, said Nestor Sherbey, an expert from the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation.
At a seminar titled “From the United States-China trade war to EVFTA: How can Vietnamese enterprises utilize opportunities?,” held in HCMC today, July 16, Sherbey stated that there has been a surge in the volume of Vietnamese goods being shipped stateside, while a large volume of exports to this country in previous periods came from China. Therefore, the United States’ competent agencies have taken precautions and will take steps to make sure that the products are really being made in Vietnam.
According to U.S. customs officials, goods shipped by Vietnamese firms are not necessarily produced in Vietnam.
They will collect the required information and even launch investigations into Vietnamese products. Therefore, local exporters should provide information accurately and adequately, Sherbey added.
If violations are found, enterprises will receive heavy sanctions.
Sherbey said that 90% of the cases being addressed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection relate to the transport of Chinese goods to Vietnam and Thailand for re-export to the United States.
He also advised Vietnamese firms exporting products to the United States to take precautions by tracking all relevant statistics, complying with regulations in the importing market and seeking consultancy services from professional agencies.
According to Vu Thanh Tu Anh, Dean of Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, the volume of Vietnamese goods exported stateside could not have increased sharply without the influx of Chinese goods into Vietnam.
For example, imports of electronic products from China to Vietnam in the first five months of this year rocketed 81% year-on-year, while exports of these products to the United States surged 72%. Similarly, the wood sector reported an increase of 35% in both imports from China and exports stateside.
Although there was not enough evidence to prove that Chinese enterprises consider Vietnam a transit point for their products to avoid high import duties in the United States, Vietnam should take steps to prevent possible negative effects, Anh said.
The country should work with both China and the United States and warn domestic firms not to pursue immediate benefits that would harm these sectors and the economy as a whole.
Vietnam should also enhance control over Chinese goods being shipped to Vietnam, Anh added.
He confirmed that the U.S.-China trade war is just an opportunity for Vietnam, noting that it is more important to improve domestic enterprises’ competitiveness.
