Lao Cai (VNA) – The customscooperation between Vietnam’s northern provinces of Lao Cai, Dien Bien, HaGiang, and Hai Phong city and China’s Kunming has proven successful, reapingmany positive outcomes.
The two sides have strengthened coordination inpreventing smuggling and trade frauds, as well as facilitating efficientcustoms clearance for goods, people’s travelling, and transportation.
They also coordinated well in the protection ofintellectual property rights, border management, exchange of data, and capacitybuilding for customs officers.
Nguyen Viet Quang, who is in charge of Lao Cai’scustoms department, said the Chinese side have enabled local farm produceexporters to transport their goods by car across the border, thus helpingpromote the export turnover of Vietnamese agricultural products through the LaoCai international border gate.
Dragon fruit and lychee exports were reported ashaving increased the most amongst Vietnamese agricultural products enteringChina via the Lao Cai international border gate since the beginning of thisyear.
As of June 13, Vietnam exported 284,516 tonnesof dragon fruits worth 185.75 million USD, up 688 percent against the sameperiod last year.
The country shipped 7,896 tonnes of lychees toChina as of June 14, earning 4.15 million USD in revenue, a year-on-year riseof 162 percent.
High growth was also seen in watermelon exports,reaching 12,395 tonnes, worth over 4.7 million USD; 16,666 tonnes of pepper,worth 46.72 million USD; and 10,973 tonnes of other fruits and vegetables,worth 19.65 million USD.
During the recent 12th annual talks between thecustoms departments of Vietnamese localities and China’s Kunming, the two sidesagreed to expand cooperation in a more extensive and intensive manner.
They agreed to implement a joint action plan onanti-smuggling in the border area between customs of Vietnam’s Lao Cai, DienBien, and Ha Giang and China’s Kunming over the 2018-2019 period.
Added to this is the need to enhance mutualassistance in the inspection of trade fraud and customs violations across the sharedborder.
The two sides will quickly respond to assistancerequests for key commodities, such as solid waste, ammunition, explosives, wildanimals, automobiles, white sugar, and food, in addition to strengtheningmutual support in inspecting customs valuation and commercial contracts in caseswith special requirements.
Furthermore, Vietnamese and Chinese customs officeswill implement cooperation in reforming methods of supervising customsmanagement, making it easier to complete customs clearance procedures andexchange data on goods imported and exported via border gates.–VNA