Anti-smuggling peak in the rest of 2021 and Lunar New Year 2022

	Over two tonnes of dried seahourse and abalone, shredded bird’s nest smuggled in containers of blood cockles
	Clarifying the alliance in smuggling of 850m3 of narra padauk wood
	Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh: Need to proactively fight against smuggling at the end of the year

Contraband cigarettes are seized.

Notice 278/TB-VPCP states the Government will gradually open the economy, restore production and business activities. It is forecast that smuggling, trade fraud, production and trading of counterfeit and banned goods will be complicated, especially in the remaining months of 2021 and the Lunar New Year 2022.

The Deputy Prime Minister requests the 389 Steering Committees of ministries, governmental agencies and local agencies to strictly follow the directives and resolutions of the Party, Government, Prime Minister and the 389 National Steering Committee for fighting smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeiting; preventing degradation in political thought, morality, lifestyle of cadres, civil servants and officers of the competent forces and building a clean and strong internal organization and upholding the responsibility of the head and attaching the responsibility of the head to the performance results.

In addition, the 389 Steering Committees are required to effectively carry out plans of the 389 National Steering Committee, especially the plan on combating smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeiting in e-commerce activities to detect, prevent and deal with acts of smuggling, trade fraud, production and trading of counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, goods of unknown origin, especially necessities, medical supplies and equipment for the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic in accordance with Resolution 127/NQ-CP dated October 8, 2021.

Removing inadequacies in policies

Mr. Pham Binh Minh also asks the 389 Steering Committees of ministries, governmental agencies and local agencies to focus on perfecting policies and legal regulations that have shortcomings and loopholes in order to prevent taking advantage of policies for smuggling, trade fraud, and production and trading in counterfeit goods and goods infringing intellectual property rights.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is required to urgently realize the direction of the Prime Minister and the Head of the 389 National Steering Committee on the development of legal documents stipulating how to identify products and goods manufactured in Vietnam at the circular level.

The 389 local Steering Committees should assign competent forces to promote the application of science and technology in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods; strengthen coordination, connection, and information sharing in accordance with the new situation; widely publicize e-mail and hotlines of the 389 National Steering Committee and local 389 Steering Committees at all levels and strictly implement the information and reporting regime of the 389 National Steering Committee.

Furthermore, the competent forces should perform their tasks, promptly handle acts of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods and poor quality goods, especially acts of fraud and forgery of origin for export goods when Vietnam has joined bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements; closely inspect and supervise consignments in transshipment, border-gate transfer, temporarily imported for re-export, especially consumer goods, groceries, and goods at risk of smuggling.

The competent forces should effectively carry out plans related to groups of petroleum, minerals, tobacco, sugar, pharmaceuticals, supplementary foods, medicinal herbs and fake traditional medicines; strictly handle acts of abusing the pandemic to speculate, unreasonably increase prices of essential goods, and advertising and labeling not in accordance with the nature of goods for profit and deceiving consumers.

The Deputy Prime Minister requests press agencies to closely work with the competent authorities to promptly and accurately report the situation and results of the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeiting, negative manifestations and inadequacies in the operation of the authorities; perform public communication about policies and laws; encourage people not to participate, abetting acts of smuggling, trade fraud and trading in counterfeit goods; condemn acts of abusing the pandemic to speculate and raise goods prices unreasonably.

The Standing Office assumes the prime responsibility for, and coordinates with competent forces in, developing thematic plans about combatting smuggling via air, cross-border smuggling of consumer goods and groceries, especially the peak plan for combating smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods during the Lunar New Year 2022.