Inspect production capacity of enterprises to prevent forge of goods origin

	Customs prevents origin fraud and protect intellectual property rights
	Customs force struggles to prevent fraud of Vietnamese goods origin
	Collecting comments on draft Circular on inspection and verification of goods origin

Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Mai Xuan Thanh addresses the meeting with Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department. Photo: T.D

Actively control and detect forge of goods origin

According to Au Anh Tuan, Acting Director of Customs Control and Supervision Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, over the past time, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has received information from international customs authorities about commodities with high risk and subject to warning of origin fraud of goods imported into Vietnam for export to third country markets, specifically the EU and the US. Through investigation, the Customs authority has discovered many cases of importing goods with forged Vietnamese origin.

Specifically, the Ministry of Finance issued Decision No. 1662/QD-BTC dated August 27, 2019 to implement Prime Minister's Decision No. 824/QD-TTg dated July 4, 2019, approving the scheme on strengthening state management on prevention of the avoidance of trade remedies and origin fraud

In 2019, the General Department of Vietnam Customs issued Official Dispatch 5189/TCHQ-GSQL instructing customs authorities to strengthen inspection and identification of origin, combat fraud and forge on goods labeling and origin, infringement of intellectual property rights and illicit transshipment.

Accordingly, customs units closely monitor the import of some targeted products which have a sharp change in import and export turnover and are imported from high risk markets on the avoidance of trade remedies, and goods are imported into Vietnam for export to other major markets, affecting the reputation of Vietnamese goods. Therefore, providing measures and proposals to prevent and handle.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs has identified that commodity groups related to plywood, bicycles, electric bicycles and components; leather and bag; computer, electronic products and components; electrical appliances and components; phones and components; aluminum and aluminum products; iron and steel and iron, steel products are subject to special controls. The General Department of Vietnam Customs has requested local customs departments strictly control from import to the production process of enterprises and to the exporting stage.

On October 18, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department issued a plan for inspection, verification and combat the forge of trademark, origin to smuggle, tax evasion and deceive consumers and illicit transshipment.

A shipment of Chinese fashion with forged origin seized by Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: T.H

Enhance management capacity of enterprises

Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Dinh Ngoc Thang said the department has determined the combat of origin fraud and illicit transshipment, label forge of goods is a key task. It directed customs branches to raise responsibility in performing tasks besides facilitating import and export activities to managing and preventing frauds and forging goods origin. The biggest goal is to prevent the import of goods with forged origin to the Vietnamese market.

Following the direction of leaders of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, units and customs branches have developed a key plan on customs control, anti-smuggling, risk management and post clearance audit. In addition, promoting the propaganda, instruction and changing knowledge of enterprises on origin, preventing acts of counterfeiting trademarks and origin of goods. Especially management and inspection of production capacity of enterprises to promptly detect violations.

At the meeting, Deputy Director General Mai Xuan Thanh praised Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department for the deployment of plan on combating origin fraud and illicit transshipment at each unit. Many initiatives have been recognised and achieved positive results in detecting major cases of origin fraud.

In the future, Deputy Director General Mai Xuan Thanh proposed Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department continue to request its units to take all specialised measures to discover enterprises and shipments with forged origin. At the same time, inspect at the highest level the suspected shipments.

In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department should coordinate with the Customs Risk Management Department and the Customs IT and Statistics Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs to analyse high-risk shipments. For businesses, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department should strengthen propaganda to businesses to comply with the trademark and origin rules. Propagandise administrative penalties and criminal prosecution to prevent fraud if businesses intend to do this.

“Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department should work with C/O issuers in the area; check production capacity of enterprises, coordinate with the Customs Control and Supervision Department to review the legal basis to investigate export enterprises and inspect nationwide, classify to detect violated enterprises,” Thanh said.