ASEAN Customs make great effort respond Covid -19 pandemic

	Vietnam Customs participates in 29th Customs Directors General meeting
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Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Mai Xuan Thanh attended the 29th meeting of the ASEAN Customs Directors- General via video conference.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Director Generals said ASEAN held meetings to discuss measures to respond to the pandemic.

In which, theSpecial ASEAN Summit on the Covid-19Response was held via video conference in April. At the summit, ASEAN member states committed to keeping the ASEAN market open for trade and investment; ensuring the supply chain of goods, especially for essentials and medical products; restricting the application of unnecessary policies, strengthening regional and non-regional trade exchanges and studying signing an agreement to maintain supply chain connectivity.

In June, the Special ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting on the Covid-19 Response was held to provide solutions to effectively respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the meeting, ministers emphasized the important role of keeping regional marketopenand maintaining the attraction of the region by limiting unnecessary policies, including export restrictions and bans on trade and investment.

In July, the 3rd Preparatory Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting for the 51st ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (ASEAN SEOM 3/51) proposed strategic measures of the region like strengthening health system recovery, maximising potentials of the intra-ASEAN market, comprehensively accelerating digitalisation, enhancing security and the protection of people towards a greater future.

At the meeting, Director Generals of ASEAN member states expressed their efforts to minimize the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and emphasised the role of the Customs authorities in ensuring market opening and facilitating to goods transportation, and approved measures.

Accordingly, states agreed with the application of provisions of free trade agreements as well asprinciples and standards of the World Customs Organization amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ensuring the smooth flow of essential items such as food, goods,medical products and supplies, and ensuring that all restrictions andnon-tariff barriers in customs procedures are developed based on fairness, transparency and compliance with the WTO’s principles; strengthening dialogue with the private sector, making efforts to hastencustoms clearance time of goods and continuing to support businesses, especially small and medium enterprises; promoting exchange of information on risky goods and taking measures to combat illegal trade in medical supplies; Encouraging the sharing of good practices, measures to minimise the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, supporting small and medium enterprises and strengthening public-private partnerships.

Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Mai Xuan Thanh and representatives of departments participated in the 29th meeting of the ASEAN Customs Directors- General via video conference.

The Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs said Vietnam Customs has taken measures to balance community protection and trade facilitation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the start of the outbreak, Vietnam Customs has implemented online performance and arranged customs officer to work at the headquarters in combination with at home; increased flexibility in customs clearance, encouraged communications via phone or email instead of face-to-face. Thereby, both preventing and controlling the pandemic and ensuring smooth performance, facilitating people and businesses.

Deputy Director General Mai Xuan Thanh emphasised Vietnam Customs has made great efforts to perform the State management on customs at border gates, ensuring fast and convenient customs clearance of import and export goods.