Vietnam, U.S. customs team up to prevent origin fraud
Vietnam, U.S. customs team up to prevent origin fraud
Vietnamese and U.S. customs agencies have conducted joint investigations against those who violate U.S. laws, said Nguyen Van Can, head of the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC), at a working session with representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Hanoi.
The Vietnamese official and USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick held discussions in Hanoi on U.S.-Vietnam cooperation on trade facilitation, followed by a visit to Air Cargo Terminal of Noi Bai Airport to observe GDVC interdiction efforts on illegal transshipment.
Can was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying that to date, customs authorities between the two countries have investigated six incidents related to goods exported to the U.S. with Vietnamese origins, and proved that these goods are not eligible to be labeled made-in-Vietnam.
Vietnam’s customs agencies will continue to work with their counterparts to investigate and solve similar cases. They have also paid attention to modernizing customs processing, with 99% of customs declarations being processed through e-customs declaration systems, he said.
Vietnam Customs has received information from U.S. Customs on completing procedures for signing a cooperation deal between the two countries’ customs agencies, he added.
According to Can, the agreement will include contents related to mutual technical assistance and information sharing to enforce the laws of each country, thus promoting trade development, ensuring safety and security for the community, and fighting terrorism, smuggling and trade fraud.
Meanwhile, USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick said that illegal trans-shipments is an ever-growing concern in the trade ties between Vietnam and the U.S., adding that the cooperation between the two countries in dealing with the issue also represents the commitment of the two governments.
The American agency pledges to cooperate with all agencies in Vietnam in raising public awareness about preventing illegal trans-shipment, and in training and developing stronger regulatory frameworks to support authentic businesses, she said.
Additionally, the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation is working closely with the GDVC to implement a customs clearance guarantee system, she noted, expressing her hope that this effort will move forward in a timely manner.
At the Air Cargo Terminal of the Hanoi-based Noi Bai Airport, the GDVC gave Deputy Administrator Glick an overview of their control operations and inspection of goods suspected of origin-related fraud.
Recognizing the negative impact of illegal transshipment, and under the instructions of the Ministry of Finance, the GDVC has requested all customs departments, including air cargo, to enhance their import-export supervision, to avoid trade remedies from other partners and protect foreign investment in Vietnam.
Through the five-year Trade Facilitation Program, USAID is supporting Vietnam to adopt and implement a risk management approach to customs and specialized inspection agencies, which will strengthen the implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement of which both Vietnam and the United States are members.
Over the course of the project, the program is collaborating with the GDVC, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry to address origin fraud, and identify illegal transshipment and circumvention of trade remedies.
The first workshop is planned for mid-November and will focus on exchanging experiences and analyzing relevant regulations and procedures in both the U.S. and Vietnam.
