China issues 1,528 codes for Vietnamese agricultural and food products

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Illustration: Internet

Recently, the Vietnam SPS Office (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) has received effective support from the Vietnamese Embassy in China in registering enterprises to export agricultural and food products to China to meet regulations of Order 248 promulgates "Regulations on management of registration of foreign food production enterprises imported into China" and Order 249 promulgates "Measures to manage food safety for import and export of China" of the General Administration of Customs of China (effective January 1, 2022).

Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of SPS Vietnam Office, said that as of February 8, 2022, the General Department of Customs of China had approved 1,528 agricultural product codes for Vietnamese businesses.

However, it is worth noting that the SPS Vietnam Office received recommendations from a number of businesses that still had problems.

Specifically, a number of enterprises have submitted registration documents with Vietnamese authorities before November 1, 2021 according to the instructions in Note No. 353 dated September 27, 2021 of the General Administration of Customs of China; already have orders, cleared at the export port of Vietnam, had a customs declaration before January 1, 2022, currently the shipments are at the port of Vietnam but have not been issued codes by the General Department of Customs of China.

17/SPS-BNNVN dated February 8, 2022 to the Vietnamese Embassy in China on working with the General Department of Customs of China to remove obstacles for enterprises exporting agricultural products to China. Nationally, the SPS Vietnam Office has requested the General Department of Customs of China to allow the enterprise to export the above-mentioned shipments because the enterprise has registered in accordance with the guiding process.

In addition, according to the Vietnam SPS Office, there are currently six enterprises that have submitted registration documents with Vietnamese authorities before November 1, 2021 according to the instructions in Note 353 dated September 27, 2021 of the General Administration of Customs of China but have not been issued a code.

In addition, Intimex Food Joint Stock Company (Intimex Food Joint Stock Company), has been granted the export code of rice products by the General Department of China Customs (CVNM08012112010042), but the company would like to add some information.

The SPS Vietnam office also requested the Vietnamese Embassy in China to coordinate with the General Department of Customs of China to check the records of seven product codes that are not under the management of the Food Safety Administration (Ministry of Health); request re-granting the password for the enterprise and the password to the competent authority of Vietnam, and the Department of Animal Health (MARD).

“In order to ensure that there is no disruption to agricultural trade between the two countries and to remove difficulties for businesses, the Vietnam SPS Office proposed that the Vietnamese Embassy in China work with the General Department of Customs of China to promote the issuance of product codes to Vietnamese enterprises that have registered through the competent authority before and after November 1, 2021 and have solutions to handle the above problems," Mr. Nam said.

With Order No. 248, all foreign enterprises (DN) producing food for export to China must register with the General Department of Customs of China instead of only applying to enterprises producing annual goods in the "List to be registered" area as before.

Chinese customs classifies enterprises according to the level of risk. Specifically, group 1: Enterprises producing 18 types of food for export to the Chinese market must register with the General Department of Customs of China through the competent authority of Vietnam (including meat and meat products; aquatic products; dairy products, bird's nests and products from bird's nests; animal intestines (used to make sausage casings); bee products; eggs and egg products; food oils and ingredients; cake filling; food cereals; cereal and malt flour products; fresh vegetables, dehydrated vegetables, dried beans; spices of natural origin; nuts and seeds; dried fruit; unroasted coffee beans and cocoa; special diet foods; functional foods).

Group 2: Including enterprises producing foods for export to the Chinese market that are not in the 18 foods of group 1, they can submit their own documents or authorize their import enterprises/agents. China has registered with China Customs through the "Foreign Imported Food Manufacturing Enterprise Registration Management Application" on the international trade single-window system https://www.singlewindow.cn from November 1, 2021.

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With Order No. 249, China introduced a number of new regulations such as: Requires conformity assessment, sets out import management principles for foods that do not yet have China's national standards and foods approved by China with new food materials; changes in labeling requirements.